Room 219 Update - Week of January 18, 2016
Dear Families,
Here is what we are working on in our classroom:
Grammar/Word Study: This week third grade will begin incorporating some regular
grammar practice into our routine. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we will replace Word
Study with grammar instruction and practice. We will kick off our grammar studies by
looking at common and proper nouns, as well as pronouns.
Math: Topic 7 is a short unit and begins to wind down early this week. Students will
have more practice with answering word problems related to picture graphs and bar
graphs. You can help your child with these word problems by making sure they’re on
the lookout for any hidden questions! The Topic 7 test will be on Friday, January 22nd.
Reading: This week we begin my absolute favorite reading unit: mysteries!! Our unit
kicked off today with a mini-mystery within the classroom. Ask your child about my
stolen iPad and how they helped me to solve the mystery! On Thursday, students will
be assigned their new Book Club for this unit and will once again make new Book Club
Contracts. You can get involved right away by asking about your child’s first club book
and what the big mystery is in the book.
Writing: Last week students worked really hard to choose a seed idea and
brainstormed tons of information on their topic. This week I will teach them how to give
better examples by showing instead of telling. Students will also consider the audience
of their persuasive speeches to select and discard material. The week will end with
students using all of this brainstormed information to finally write their first draft of their
persuasive speech! If you haven’t already, ask your child about the persuasive speech
topic he/she selected and the evidence gathered to support it.
Social Studies: The next lessons in our social studies unit focus on city hall workers.
Students will learn about some of the positions and departments in the government of a
community and what the people in those positions do. Ask our child about some of
these positions (such as city manager, parks and recreation dept., public library, public
works dept., etc.) and which ones they think are the most important!
Upcoming Events:
1/22 – January Scholastic book orders due
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your
dedication to your child’s education!
Sincerely,
Kaylee Viscuso