Happy 2nd Friday!

Hello, lovely third grade magnet families! We had a wonderful week...here it is in a nutshell...

MATH
In Math we have been working on estimating and rounding to a particular place...when you are dealing with numbers in the millions and you're asked to round to the nearest thousand there are often furrowed brows...but after this week we have less wrinkled foreheads...I think! :-) We have been reviewing addition of larger numbers and next week will spend a few days on subtraction with zeroes. I know that some of you are wondering...when will my child be challenged? I gave a quarterly pretest and am only instructing those kids that need reinforcement of the different concepts. If your child missed no addition of larger numbers or subtraction with zeroes, they are working on enrichment activities where they must apply the skills they already have mastered. This is always harder than the actual algorithm itself. When I assign homework, I usually assign the actual concept being worked on/reinforced as mandatory homework, and then assign a more challenging piece for extra credit. This piece is always a choice, and some kids do not take it with them...I am fine with this as I feel that during the day I am taxing their brains and if in the evening they'd rather do the "must do" homework and skip the extra credit, it's fine. HOWEVER...I am aware that it may not be fine in your opinion. This is a conversation you need to have with your child if you want them to take the extra credit piece home with them. Hopefully I've explained this well, but if you're completely confused, feel free to email me!

SOCIAL STUDIES
We are working on map elements and delving into lines of latitude and longitude...using coordinate points to locate places on the map. I was thrilled to see that six of our students completed the extra credit project about the lines on a map! By the end of next week, every child will be bringing home a project that will require them to use their knowledge of map elements and coordinate points. They will have 10 days to complete the project...more details next Friday!

LANGUAGE ARTS
In Language Arts we have been reading different fiction and non-fiction books and using our "before reading" strategies. We have identified fiction and non-fiction text features and we have continued with our reading responses. Each student now has a rubric inside their reading response journal to remind them of the expectations. This is something you can see if you come to our Back to School Night (BTSN) next Thursday evening. Speaking of BTSN...

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Our BTSN is from 7-8 on Thursday, September 10th. It is for parents only and it is where I will have the opportunity to tell you more about our program and answer any questions you may have. If you know a question you'd like answered, please email me ahead of time so that I can be well prepared...thanks!

As you probably know by now, we FILLED OUR MARBLE JAR! I wasn't kidding when I said they're an awesome group...ask them how many marbles it took to do it...it's AMAZING that they did it in two weeks! We spent some time today playing board games...I even got to play backgammon...and I lost!! It was a lot of fun and well deserved!

This Tuesday, President Obama is giving a speech to America's students. I am not broadcasting this speech. It begins 10 minutes before our lunch and it, unfortunately, does not fit into our day. I am, however, recording it at home to show my own children that evening. If you would like more information about this speech, want to know what channel to record, or would just like some questions to use with your child before and after the speech, please follow this link... http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html#faqs

I hope you enjoy the three day weekend and I look forward to seeing your lovelies on Tuesday!