Writing Workshop

January  Writing

We will be continuing our Compare and Contrast essay work for the next week   Students will be working on revising and editing and will be publishing their essays by January 15th.

Writing about Reading: January/February

In the next unit we will be working on writing about what we are reading.

In this unit, students will be asked  specific questions about their reading.  They will be taught to think carefully about each question and even to break it apart so they truly understand what they are being asked.  Students will work on matching details from their reading to the answers they come up with and writing their answers in well defined paragraphs.

Reader's Workshop

Reading in January & February

In the second half of January and through February, we will be working in reading short but complex fiction and nonfiction texts.  We will work on different reading strategies to get through and comprehend these complex texts.  Additionally, we will teach students strategies to understand and respond to questions about what they read, using text-based evidence.

Some examples of the different kinds of texts we will be exploring are:

Fiction
-Realistic Fiction
-Historical Fiction
-Science Fiction
-Dramas/Plays
-Fables
-Folktales
-Fairytales
-Excerpts from longer texts

Nonfiction
-Narrative Nonfiction
-Persuasive Nonfiction
-Informational Nonfiction
-Procedural Nonfiction (how-to)

***Throughout this time, it is important that students continue to read their assigned independent reading books at home for at least 35 minutes each day, and work on their assigned reading jobs!

December Math Workshop

December Math

Third grade will continue working on addition and subtraction. We are focusing on self correcting and finding our mistakes. In addition, we have been using problems with mistakes to look closer and be better mathematicians.  In subtraction, we have been checking ourselves with addition.  We also have been focusing on being able to explain our work and the steps we took to solve, both in writing and verbally. At the end of the unit, the students will be tested on their addition and subtraction skills in word problems and numerically. 

How to help at home:

• go over the homework each night
• encourage self correcting
• make sure students are showing work and can explain their thinking
• practice two and three digit subtraction (especially with middle and double zero)
• make sure children are reading the directions in their homework

December Read-Aloud

                                      

Third grade is wrapping up our reading of Because of Winn Dixie.  The kids are loving this story!  

Here are some of the things we are focusing on toward the end of the book:

• continued work of theme (loneliness, abandonment, friendship, family, forgiveness)
• noticing the struggles of secondary characters
• finding similarities in secondary characters and the main character
• seeing how relationships can change and grow
• learning lessons through the advice Opal is getting from the other characters
• saying how Opal's life is changed because of Winn Dixie

On Wednesday, December 23rd, the third grade will be watching the Because of Winn Dixie movie and comparing it to the book!

December / January Writing Workshop

Compare and Contrast Essay

The third graders are working on developing a compare and contrast essay.  The students will be working on finding the similarities and differences between two animals. Students will be researching and taking notes, using graphic organizers and mentor texts so they they can produce a four to five paragraph essay on their findings.

December Reader's Workshop

December Reader's Workshop

We recently completed our character  unit and all students took a grade-level reading assessment.

We are now moving into our small guided reading groups, focusing on the different skills that students at each level need in order to continue to make reading progress.


These are some of the skills we are working on at each level:
Levels L & M
-Figure out the most important parts of each chapter
-Connect the most important parts of the story to retell what happened
-Notice when you are confused and use strategies to help understand (reread, envision, stop & jot)
-Infer character traits based on things the character's behavior


Levels N, O, & P
-Infer character traits based on things the character's behavior
-Connect important events from the beginning, middle and end in order to figure out how the main character changed
-Determine the lesson the main character learned
-Understand the roles of important secondary characters
-Analyze why characters do things they do
-Figure out characters' flaws (negative traits) and how they contribute to their struggles


You can support your child's reading at home by:
-Making sure they read each day for at least 35 minutes and work on their independent reading job
-Asking questions such as:
     -What is happening in this part of the story? How does this connect to what already happened?
     -Who are some important secondary characters? What are their roles?
     -How does the chapter you just read connect to the chapter title?
     -How does the main character feel right now? What us causing him/her to feel that way?
     -What kind of person is the main character (character trait)? What have they done to make you think they are this kind of person?
     -What lesson did the main character learn at the end of the book?
     -How did the main character change throughout the story?

3-308 Trip to The Whitney Museum