Greetings,

We have just begun a new novel, 39 Clues: Maze of Bones. We will be using this text to review each of the reading skills in the 3^rd grade course of study. This week, we are focusing on questioning the text, finding answers to our questions, and inquiring to expand thinking. Next week, we’ll focus on making inferences. Students are still being given two vocabulary words per chapter and are tested on Friday. Remember, some words may come from the previous book, Family Under the Bridge, as well.

In Language, we have been learning how to recognize the four different types of sentences. Additionally, we’ll soon be able to recognize the subject and the predicate of a sentence and distinguish between a complete and simple subject and a complete and simple predicate. Writing will be improved as we discover how to correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences and how to combine short, choppy sentences into compound sentences.

We have begun unit 5 in math with a focus on multiplication and division.  Through this unit your child will understanding the meaning of multiplication including the relationship among skip counting, repeated addition, and multiplication,  writing and solving multiplication problems in context, multiplication notation and the relationship between multiples. Your child will also be developing an understanding and working with array models of multiplication and developing strategies for division based on understanding the inverse relationship between multiplication and division. We plan to finish the unit by the middle of February.

*Students are expected to know the multiplication combinations with products up to 144 with fluency!!!! Starting February 6^th students will be given multiplication tests containing facts 1-12. These tests will count as a math grade. It is extremely important that your child know there multiplication facts through 12 by February 6^th!!!

Happy New Year!

I’m looking forward to a great semester. I”ll send out a curriculum update next week sometime but I wanted to get a few housekeeping things out today. Our classroom is in need of several things (Kleenex, Clorox wipes, Ziploc freezer bags). If you can contribute some or all of these things at any time that would be wonderful. Also, you will get a form about your intentions on staying at the Magnet School today (Thursday). Please get these back in ASAP to reserve your spot for next year. Finally, we have a field trip coming up on February 22nd to Sci-Quest in Huntsville, Alabama so we are calling all parents (Estimated Departure 6:30 a.m.  Estimated Return 5:00 p.m). The cost for parents to attend is $40 and that includes the pizza and drink that will be provided for lunch that day. If you have not made the last payment for your child, we need that by the end of next week. If you have a balance after Wednesday and can’t remember how much you owe, I will send an invoice as a reminder.

Toodles,

Mr. Little

Greetings,

Just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Sincerely,

Mr. Little

Math: We are currently on Unit 4 in math. The focus is on geometry and measurement. This is a short unit and our plan is to test before we get out for break. I will let your child know the exact date as we get closer. Your child will be learning the length of units of measure (inch, foot, yard, centimeter, and meter), understanding and finding perimeter, accurately measuring length while recognizing and explaining possible sources of measurement errors, finding the area and volume of shapes, understanding triangles, quadrilaterals, angles, and spatial figures. I will be sending home a review sheet next week, but please do not wait until next week to begin studying. Math should be reviewed and studied nightly at home as an extra reinforcement to what we are doing in class. Look through your child’s workbook to see examples of what we are working on in class. We are continuing to take multiplication tests every Tuesday and Thursday. PLEASE study multiplication facts!! Students must know all their facts by February.

Timez Attack: We now have the full versionJ Thank you Mrs. Burkhalter!!!

Parents you will need to re-cache so you can have the full version at home.  Once you put in the  “magnet” password go to the “trouble shooting” link at the top and click re-cache multiplication/division.

* There is a link to Timez attack under my links page*

Reading/Language:

In reading and language arts we have been learning and reviewing several concepts (main idea and detail, inferring, drawing conclusions, adjectives, and adverbs). Most of these concepts require students to use their higher order thinking skills. We are continuing to review main idea and detail. Remember, some common questions that are asked are: “what is this passage mostly about”, “what would be a good title for this passage”, “which detail does NOT fit with the main idea”, ect… Students should also be able to tell the main idea of a paragraph as well an entire passage. We are also working on inferring and drawing conclusions. This reading skill is requiring students to use context clues from the text along with their own background knowledge to draw conclusions about a story.

IB: In our IB unit, we are currently exploring “Who We Are”. Specifically, we are focusing on multiculturalism. Our central idea is “Appreciation of diverse cultures is developed through exploration and acceptance of a culture’s unique characteristics.” While we are covering many aspects of what defines a culture, we have only touched on the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, by the end of this unit, students will understand that culture is more than art, music, and food it delves into many ideas that are below the tip of the iceberg such as approaches to problem solving, incentives to work, conceptions of justice, and many more. Our final project will be a cultural expo where other students get to come and hear what we have learned about culture.

Sincerely,

Mr. Little

Don’t forget that we have Spirit Night at the Chick-fil-A in Northport from 5:00-8:00 tonight. Also, there is no school tomorrow!! Our class has collected 58 cans for the canned food drive. If you have some at home and would like to donate, send them on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Mr. Little