Mrs. Kucharski’s Classroom News

Science

This week the class will continue to work on a study guide for soil. This guide along with the science book will come home on Tuesday. The test will now be on Friday. Please spend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday reviewing lessons 1-4 on pages 66-94. We have highlighted the important parts.

 Math

Students will work on 3, 4, and multiples of 10 this week. The class works in small groups throughout the week. Many students are doing so well on their multiplication that they are moving on to cross multiplication with several digits! We will also work on problem solving with the use of tables this week.

 Language Arts

We will be reading Balto, The Dog Who Saved Nome this week in class.  “Dear 2013,” will be our writing prompt for this week as the students set an academic goal and brainstorm three ways they plan on reaching this goal.    Students will also be working on homographs and using them in their writing. 

A few students have decided to try to complete a Skills Challenge of the Week that was distributed in class to interested students only.  This is optional and completed challenges may be turned in on Friday for a Bee Buck.

Coming home today is an optional AR challenge and can be found on a blue sheet of paper.  This would be in addition to the genre of the month.  The genre for the month of January is realistic fiction.

 Spelling Test 1/11

EOS Balto Test 1/18

 Social Studies

Making and reading timelines will be the focus of our lessons this week.  Students will be introduced to the following terms:

• Years
• Decades
• Centuries
• Chronological order
• Timeline.

Thank you for sending in the timeline photos for WednesdayJ

Test information

Starting in third grade, students are expected to begin the process of applying what they have learned in class. Study guides are provided as a guidance as to the topics that will be tested on. The class will be expected to take this material and apply what they have learned. For example, we may say that know what a sedimentary rock is and give the definition in a study guide. On the test, the students will be asked to describe how to make a sedimentary rock like we did in a lab in the classroom. They will then be asked to describe how it is different from an igneous or metamorphic rock using examples.

Math
This week in math we will begin our Rocket Math Multiplication! Students will receive their new rocket and data sheet to record their progress. Our focus will continue to be on multiplication and different strategies along with problem solving. Please send in a can of Pringles (filled with the chips), so we can make a multiplication project with the can.We’ll nibble and study the facts. Pick a flavor your child will enjoy. J Pringles needed by Friday, January 4^th. Anytime earlier is fine too.

Science

Our unit on soil will end this week and we will test next Tuesday, January 8th. Look for the study guide to come home on Thursday.

Language Arts

To kick off the New Year, third graders will be making predictions and setting goals for the remainder of the school year.  We will also be completing a review of folktales, myths and fables.

Social Studies       

Timelines will be the focus as we begin 2013.  Children will complete a toy timeline and a timeline using the Hershey’s website.  I will be sending home a letter requesting pictures for a personal timeline.  This timeline will represent your child’s life from birth to present day.  Children will need a total of 5 pictures, about the size of a snapshot or smaller.  The following will be needed from home: 

1.  Baby picture

2.  2-3 years

3.  4-5 years

4.  6-7 years

5.  Present day.    

Kindly send these pictures in by Wednesday, January 9.  Thank you!

Extras:

Please send a baby picture of your child by Friday for our “Who’s That Baby” contest! So you will need two baby pictures, one for this Friday and one for next Wednesday.

Math
We finished our chapter on Understanding Multiplication and will test on Wednesday. Students will bring home their review test on Tuesday to study with for the real test on Wednesday. From here we move onto multiplication! Please have your child begin reviewing their facts each night.

Science
This week we explored silt, clay, sand, and soil. Students were able to examine these different parts of loam and learn about their importance in soil structure. The class has also been working on a soil scroll which consists of the layers of soil. It is a great visual!

Language Arts

Science

Our unit on rocks and minerals will finish this week and our test will be on Thursday. Students came home with a study guide last week before break.

Math

Today we took a pretest on chapter 3 subtraction. This will come home today to study for the real test tomorrow, Tuesday November 27th.  Next, we move on to our multiplication unit! Please spend a few minutes each night working on multiplication facts. As an incentive, the class will earn parts of a banana split as they go. For example: 0,1 would equal the bowl, 2’s would earn ice cream and so on. In the end, we will have a real banana split party!

Language Arts

Math

This week in math we will estimate differences using rounding to the nearest ten or hundred. Our big focus will be subtracting with regrouping. This is a difficult concept for some and we will model this with base-ten blocks first and then move on to drawing, and concluding with paper and pencil. Students will have an opportunity to apply this concept in their math centers along with problem solving in the teacher group.

Science

We have enjoyed our mineral testing! The students will continue to work on testing luster and magnetism tests this week. I am impressed with their attention to detail and descriptions they are using while testing.

Language Arts

Science

We will do a light test on our minerals this week. Students are introduced to a new property of minerals-their ability to transmit light.  As the class shines a light on each mineral, they observe that some minerals are transparent, some are translucent, and others are opaque.  After they have observed the amount of light they could see through each of their minerals, students will examine a second property related to how minerals interact with light: luster.  Minerals that reflect light like polished metal are said to have a metallic luster.  All other minerals have a nonmetallic luster.

 Math

The class will begin our next unit on subtraction. We will do some readiness activities on Monday and proceed to subtraction mentally and with larger numbers as the week progresses.

Math

This week we will work on adding four digit numbers with regrouping. Another focus will be problem solving using the strategy reasonable answers.  On Wednesday we will review our entire chapter and take a preview test of it on Thursday. This will come home and the test will be on Friday.  Look for the addition lap book to come home today. The test will consists of:  finding sums of the different properties, rounding to tens and hundreds and solving, find the missing addend, adding mentally, addition with regrouping, and problem solving.

Science

Mineral testing will occur this week. First, we will explore the twelve minerals in our kits and compare and sort them. Next, we will begin doing our various tests on them. Our first test will be a streak test.

Language Arts

Reading

What is schema?  This will be the focus of our mini lessons this week in reading.  Students will make connections to their reading using the terms text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world.  Students will also be completing story maps in small groups with the focus on the setting, characters, plot, theme and their connections.   We will finish reading Freckle Juice this week in class.  On Friday third graders will be taking the Otis Lennon School Ability Test.  “OLSAT assesses students’ thinking skills and provides an understanding of a student’s relative strengths and weaknesses in performing a variety of reasoning tasks.”  This is a paper pencil test and will be administered in the morning.  Children will complete a variety of spider themed activities on Friday following the OLSAT.  We will not have an EOS test, but we will have a graded vocabulary worksheet this week.

Skills

Children will continue to focus on synonyms and antonyms.  Contractions will be introduced.

Writing

As a class, we will be writing a story with characters, setting and plot.  We will begin the process by modeling what a good story looks like!

AR

Children should be wrapping up their mystery AR book for the month of October.  They are receiving time in class to read these books, but may need time at home as well to complete them.  The goal is to have their mystery books read by Friday, October 26.

 Social Studies

There will be a map quiz over map terms, continents and oceans on Tuesday, October 23.  Children brought home their “I can” statements and terms today to review.  Please note, the date at the top of the paper has changed.

Math

This week in math the class will estimate sums using rounding. We will also add three digit numbers and use estimation to check for reasonableness. The students will check their progress this week to make sure they understand the concepts taught so far.

Science

Students will explore the rock cycle and rock terms. They will bring the vocabulary terms home Monday and have a quiz on Thursday. Next, we move on to minerals! We have an amazing minerals kit and will do various tests on these minerals.

Reading/Language Arts

The next two weeks we will be reading the story Freckle Juice. Nicky Lane has numerous freckles all over his face, ears, and neck. Andrew only had two warts on his fingers. He tried counting all of Nicky’s freckles one day, but when he got to eighty-six Miss Kelly, his teacher, told him to pay attention. He wants to have his own so his mother will not be able to tell if his neck and face are dirty and he would not have to wash them. He makes many attempts to get some.

After asking Nicky how he got his freckles, and getting the expected answer (“you get born with them”), a girl in his class named Sharon, who often fools him by using sneaky tricks, tells him he can get freckles by drinking a concoction that she claims she used to get freckles, or rather six. She gives him the recipe for “Freckle Juice” for fifty cents. He thinks it’s ridiculous that he has to use five weeks worth of allowance for a recipe, but he is dying to get freckles. After school, he runs home to make the recipe which calls for several disgusting ingredients (some of which he didn’t have and had to use substitutes). He ends up drinking it, after which he gets very sick. His mother comes home, notices how sick he looks, and after scolding him for making what he made to get sick, puts him to bed immediately. She gives him pink medicine which tastes like peppermint to get better. He skips school the next day because he still feels queasy. He never wants to go back, but his mother makes him.

Before he goes to school, Andrew tried to find a brown marker but could not find one so he used a blue marker to draw several little dots on his face. He believes this will make him look like he got freckles, which would proveSharonwrong. He knew her recipe was only a joke to fool him. Unfortunately, everybody, includingSharon, sees through this idea and ends up laughing at him.

Miss Kelly gives Andrew her secret formula for removing freckles so he can do so to his blue “ones”. Ironically,Nicky Lane, the boy he envied because of his real freckles, asks her if he could use the secret formula as well because he hates them. She explains freckles did not look good on Andrew, but they look good on him. Later,Sharonwhispers to him about this recipe for a concoction that can get rid of his freckles.

Along with the story, we continue to model thinking while we are reading in class.  Fact and opinion as well as asking and answering questions while we are reading are the focus of this week’s mini lessons.  In our grammar lessons this week we will discuss the four types of sentences.

Our spelling list has only 10 words this week.  On the bottom of the list are two homework assignments. All of the listed assignments may be completed on notebook paper and are due on Thursday.  We will not have an end of selection test this week.

Social Studies

We will use alphanumeric grids to locate places on a map.  Children will learn (and practice) that relative location means to locate a place relative to other landmarks.  Students will wrap up their map skills unit by creating their own map with a title, key, symbols and a compass rose. 

Science

We will begin our unit on rocks and minerals this week! This week, we will learn how rocks are formed and the three types. The class will explore 3 different rocks and discuss similarities and differences. Next, they will observe and describe the properties of 12 rocks from our kit. This information will be recorded into a book.

Math

This week students will use place value to identify addition patterns. We will also work on mental addition strategies. The rest of the week we will work in differentiated centers on fluency, math computer programs, addition games, problem solving, and a math mystery!

Math

This week students will take a math pretest, to see what they know and what they may need help in. This will help when forming math groups to differentiate my instruction. On Tuesday we will take our OAA Reading test and no math or homework will be given that night. Wednesday finds us beginning chapter 2 which is the addition chapter. Students will be learning the Commutative Property 4+5=9 is the same as 5+4=9, the Associative Property (4+5) +2= 4+ (5+2), and the Identity Property 12 + 0 =12 or 0 +12+12. Look for a letter explaining this in more detail to come home on this day.

Science

We begin our unit on rocks, minerals, and soil! The focus will begin on rocks. We begin with just a few to explore and record information on. Next we will explore 12 different types of rocks and classify them as metamorphic, sedimentary, or igneous. This unit is filled with hands on explorations and a favorite with third graders.

Language Arts
Tuesday will be the OAA in reading and will take place in the morning.  Children will have an adjusted schedule and will not have homework Monday evening or Tuesday evening.
We will begin our mystery unit this week with the reading of The Haunting of Grade Three.  Students will have their own detective notebook where they will look for clues in the text and respond in writing in order to solve the mystery.  Additionally, we will be working in small groups on reading aloud various Cam Jansen mysteries while investigating story elements.  Our mini  lessons this week will focus on metacognition.
We will continue to discuss sentence types as well as synonyms and antonyms.  We will have our End of Selection test this week over Nate the Great on Friday.

Mystery books will be checked in class tomorrow:). Please let me know if your child needs extra time locating an appropriate book choice.

Social Studies
Map skills continue this week with the focus on symbols, key and alphanumeric grids!