W I N T E R   2 0 1 2
January  marks  the  beginning  of  a   very  busy  and  productive  time  in   third  grade  math.  We  will  be   wrapping  up  our  study  of   multiplication  strategies  and  facts  and   beginning  a  two-­‐  to  three-­‐week   exploration  of  division.  It  is  important   that  students  have  a  firm  grasp  of   multiplication  facts  through  10  in   order  to  be  successful  with  division.
To  support  and  encourage  math  fact   fluency,  we  will  begin  to  use  the
XtraMath  website  several  times  a   week.  During  the  first  half  of  the   month,  I  will  send  home  information   about  expectations  for  math  fact   practice  and  how  your  child  can   access  his/her  XtraMath  account  at   home.  I  encourage  all  parents  to  visit   the  XtraMath  website  at   www.xtramath.org
to  find  out  more   about  this  fun  program  that  builds   math  fact  fluency  in  all  areas.
Thanks  to  a  group  of  supportive  and  committed  parents  and  25   talented  students,  young  cancer  patients  staying  on  floor  J5  at
Nationwide  Children’s  Hospital  received  13  extra  special  blankets   in  late  December.  A  special  note  of  appreciation  and  gratitude  to
Mary  Beth  Marcy  for  coordinating  the  project  and  to  Karyn  Kassis   and  Kristin  Elliott  for  sharing  their  personal  stories  and   information  about  how  the  blankets  support  patients  and  families   at  the  hospital.  A  big  thank  you  to  my  students  for  this  extra  special   and  meaningful  holiday  gift!
No  School  –
Teacher  Work  Day
No  School  –  MLK  Jr.
Day
No  School  –  Staff
Professional
Development  Day
No  School  –  Staff
Professional
Development  Day
No  School  –
President’s  Day

MRS.  A’S  THIRD  GRADE  DAYS   WINTER  2012
Thanks  to  the  Elliott  family,  we  have  added  a  new   classroom  critter  to  our  growing  collection  of  fish  and   reptiles!  Charlie  is  a  Florida  box  turtle  and  he  spends   most  of  his  days  hiding  in  his  log  or  the  coconut   shavings  that  line  his  habitat.  The  kids  enjoy  getting  him   out  and  letting  him  explore  the  classroom  or  holding   him  and  watching  his  head  pop  in  and  out  of  his  shell.
Charlie  is  allowing  us  to  learn  about  the  characteristics   of  reptiles  firsthand  and  teaching  the  kids  about  the   importance  of  hygiene  as  they  care  for  and  handle  their   new  friend.
Check  out  photos  of  our  latest  activity  with  our   kindergarten  friends  from  Mrs.  Robinson’s  class.  We   helped  our  buddies  make  gingerbread  men  and   decorated  the  cover  of  our  buddy  journals.  During  the   last  week  of  school,  we  also  enjoyed  a  holiday  movie
and  some  hot  chocolate  with  our  friends.  We  love
spending  time  with  our  buddies!
Students  will  share  what  they  have  learned  about  germs,   how  our  bodies  fight  disease,  and  staying  healthy  via  a   poster  project  following  winter  break.  The  project  will  also   give  students  an  opportunity  to  practice  public  speaking  and   writing  skills,  as  well  as  reinforce  the  use  and  purpose  of   nonfiction  text  features.  Mr.  Saelzler,  Bailey’s  technology   support  teacher,  will  help  me  record  the  presentations  so   that  students  can  watch  themselves  and  one  another  when   the  project  is  completed.
On  January  5  and  6,  all  third  grade  students  will  complete  mid   year  diagnostic  assessments  in  reading  and  math.  These   assessments  will  help  inform  my  instruction  in  both  content   areas  for  the  remainder  of  the  school  year.  The  assessments  will   also  show  me  how  I  can  best  support  students  as  we  prepare    to   do  our  best  on  the  Ohio  Achievement  Assessments  this  spring.
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MRS.  A’S  THIRD  GRADE  DAYS   WINTER  2012
Has  your  child  mentioned  root  beer  floats,  giant   hundreds  charts,  and  2-­‐point  questions  in  the   same  sentence  lately?  Turns  out,  all  of  these   things  have  something  to  do  with  helping  third   grade  students  become  more  proficient  at   explaining  their  thinking  and  answering   extended  response  questions  (2-­‐  and  4-­‐point   questions)  on  standardized  assessments.
Each  week,  we  practice  using  the  R.A.C.E.   strategy  for  answering  extended  response   questions  in  math  and  reading.  R.A.C.E.  is  an   acronym  that  students  use  to  think  about  the   steps  they  need  to  take  to  answer  a  question   completely  and  correctly.  When  answering   questions  about  a  reading  selection,  students   are  asked  to   restate  the  question  in  their  own   words,   answer  the  question,  support  their   thinking  by   citing  evidence  from  the  text,  and   expanding  their  answer  to  include  relevant   details  from  the  text.  In  math,  the  R.A.C.E.   acronym  represents   recording  mathematical   thinking,  providing  a  correct   answer  to  the   question,   computing  to  prove  that  the  answer   is  correct,  and   explaining   the  mathematical   thinking  behind  the  answer.
At  least  once  a  week,  students  are  given  a   variety  of  2-­‐  and  4-­‐point  practice  questions  in   reading  and  math.  Students  that  receive  full   credit  for  the  questions  get  to  place  their  name   on  one  square  of  either  the  2-­‐point  or  4-­‐point   hundreds  charts.  Once  both  charts  are  filled   with  names,  students  will  be  rewarded  with  a   root  beer  float  party  (2-­‐point  questions)  and  a   movie  and  popcorn  party  (4-­‐point  questions).
Students  have  embraced  this  strategy  and  are   excited  to  see  the  progress  they  are  making   each  week  as  they  work  to  explain  their   thinking  and  use  evidence  to  support  their   answers.  Be  sure  to  check  your  child’s  take   home  folder  for  samples  of  2-­‐  and  4-­‐point   constructed  response  questions.
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MRS.  A’S  THIRD  GRADE  DAYS
In  late  January,  we  will  wrap  up  our  study  of  long   vowel  patterns  and  shift  our  Word  Study  focus  to   acquisition  and  exploration  of  vocabulary.  Topics  for
Word  Study  during  the  second  trimester  of  third  grade   will  include  parts  of  speech,  prefixes,  suffixes,  word   endings,  as  well  as  antonyms  and  synonyms.
WINTER  2012
Reading  Workshop  during  January  and  February  will   focus  on  conversations  about  schema  (background   knowledge)  and  the  reading  strategy  of  inferring.  I  will   also  work  with  students  in  flexible  reading  groups  on   strategies  for  answering  literal  and  inferential   questions,  and  introduce  reading  comprehension   strategies  for  electronic  and  visual  media.
During  the  first  two  weeks  of  January,  we  will  wrap  up   our  personal  narratives.  I  spent  a  lot  of  time  during   this  student  writing  project  conferencing  with  students   and  focusing  on  sentence  and  story  structure,   punctuation,  capitalization,  and  reading  and  writing   for  meaning  and  impact.  Our  next  writing  project  will   be  to  create  literary  nonfiction  texts.
Before  moving  on  to  physical  science,  students  will   spend  a  few  weeks  learning  about  the  importance  of   eating  healthy  and  exercising.  Third  graders  will   spend  some  time  learning  how  to  read  and  interpret   food  product  labels,  developing  healthy  menus,   exploring  the  food  pyramid,  and  creating  healthy   snacks  to  enjoy  in  the  classroom.
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MRS.  A’S  THIRD  GRADE  DAYS   WINTER  2012
A  big  thank  you  to  Mandy  Gamble,  Colleen  Reynolds,  Trisha  French,
Mary  Beth  Marcy,  Randi  Bicking,  Mandy  Skinner,  and  Lisa  Esterer  for   planning  a  fun-­‐filled  holiday  party  for  our  classroom!  Thanks  also  to   the  parents  that  came  to  the  party  and  helped  facilitate  the  games,   cookie  decorating,  food  prep  and  distribution,  and  clean  up.  A  fun   time  was  had  by  all!