Reading
Grammar
Before the PSSA’s we
took some time to talk
about nouns. Students
discovered the
difference between
common nouns and
proper nouns as well
as singular nouns and
plural nouns. We also
discussed pronouns
and how important
they are in our writing.
We will be looking at
how students use
nouns, verbs, adverbs,
and adjectives in their
writing.
During April, the students had many opportunities to
explore point of view. Students read the classic tale “The
Three Little Pigs” from the point of view of the pigs and
then the wolf. This led to a great debate of whether or not
the wolf actually did something wrong! From those lessons,
students were instructed to identify opposing viewpoints in
anything that they read from books to advertisements.
Discussing and reading about various viewpoints is not only
an important skill in reading, but also in life. Students are
learning how to better solve their own problems by
considering how others might feel differently in a given
situation. We will continue to do viewpoint activities
throughout the remainder of the year.
With the end of the year so near, we will revisit and practice
all of the skills and strategies we have learned this year.
During guided reading in the next few weeks, students will
take the time to use the seven reading strategies (predict,
question, clarify, summarize, visualize, make connections,
inferring) to break apart their text. They will not only use
the strategies, but also consider the reasons they choose the
strategies when and where they use them. This project will
show them how far they have come and all of the progress
they have made with reading in third grade!
Writing
In writing, students are focusing on
their opinions. Students have been
able to write about their opinions on
many different topics such as having
a dress code and having more recess.
They have been challenged to not
only write about the viewpoint they
feel passionate about, but also the
opposing one. To gather evidence,
students have been instructed to read
debates and organize the information
to form solid evidence for their
writing. During the remainder of the
year the students will complete one
more narrative about their favorite 3rd
grade memories and an informational
piece about an animal they are
interested in researching. By the end
of the year students should be able to
write a 3-paragraph essay!
For the past month, students have been
working really hard to discover what the
word “smart” actually means. As a class
we discovered that being smart does not
mean getting every answer correct on a test
or always knowing the answer in class. We
realized that smart means that you may not
be the best at everything but you are
willing to work hard to get better. People
can be smart in art, science, sports, math,
or even being a good friend. To figure out
how each of us is smart, students took the
time to write an acrostic poem about how
they are smart. We then introduced the
phrase “you are a smart cookie”. Students
wrote an organized paragraph filled with
reasons for why they are smart cookies and
also wrote a paragraph about a friend that
was handed out on the last morning of
PSSAs.
Math
In math, students practiced strategies to solve two-digit times one-digit multiplication
problems. We used the partial products, lattice, and traditional methods to do this. The
highlight from this unit was being able to write on our desks and use iPads to practice
solving problems. After the PSSAs we began a unit on word problem solving strategies.
The kiddos are working really hard using charts to organize and solve these problems.
These problems are pretty tricky but with some good detective work, the kiddos will be
masters in no time! We will continue with problem solving for the next few weeks and
then wrap up the year with fractions.
Social Studies
In social studies, we recently finished our unit on maps and globes where the kiddos
explored various kinds of maps and how they are used. From there, we started a unit
on the government. In this unit, students will learn the difference between the levels
of government, the leaders for each level, how government works, and the different
branches of the national government. Already we have held a mock town council
meeting where we debated which summer camp programs our “town” needed. To
end the unit, the kiddos are working hard to create a movie on the app PuppetPal to
show all that they know about one of the branches of government.
A goodbye from
Ms. Stoops
Coming soon!
May 4- Book fair
May 4- Visit from Mr. Mummert
Thank you for allowing me to be a
part of this classroom for the past four
months! I have enjoyed each and
every second of getting to the kiddos.
I hope you all have a wonderful
summer and a great time in forth
grade!
-Ms. Stoops
May 6- Book fair
May 7- Visit Bear Creek
May 14- Visit from a Paleontologistwith a real dinosaur skull!
May 22- Field Day
May 29- Ice Cream Reading Reward
Project Due
June 5- Last day of school!