Weekly Newsletter Week of May 2nd

Hello 3AH parents, 

I hope you have enjoyed the long weekend. This past week we were busy building and testing our rockets. We learned about the engineering process as we tested and revised our rockets. Check the photo section of the blog for pictures of our designs. 

Ms. Julie came around and spoke to the grade level about the home stretch. We are entering the last six weeks of school. It is important that we stay focused on the learning and the tasks we need to finish before the break. 

Next week we will begin our last unit in reading and writing. It will be a unit on poetry. We will be having a learning celebration on Wednesday, May 30th from 8:15-9:00.

A friendly reminder that we do not have school on Monday or Tuesday. 

 Wednesday will be a Day 2.

Reading/ Writing

This week we will begin our poetry unit. We will begin our work on ways that readers identify characteristics of poetry (line breaks, white space, shorter, repetition, figurative language, punctuation, meant to be read aloud, emotional)

Math

Students continue their work with fractions. This week we will compare fractions on the number line by reasoning about their distance from 0.

Science

Students will continue to work on their rockets if they have not launched them yet. We will focus our short week on the concept of gravity.

Week of May 2nd. Please complete 3 activities and bring in to share on Friday, May 11th.

Math: Use fractions when cooking. Draw or take pictures of the fractions you used. For example, if you were sharing food, what fraction did you use? If you helped to bake and used the measuring cup, what fraction did you use?	Language Arts: Have your family read a poem, then read a few pages of a fiction text you have been reading. Compare and contrast how they are similar and different.	Language Arts: Write about an event or memory from the long weekend. Perhaps you could write about a memorable meal, movie, or playing with your friends.
Math: Practice elapsed time. Solve this problem: Mr. Hamilton wakes up at 8:05 a.m. He walked to ISKL. It takes him 27 minutes to walk to school. He eats his breakfast for 31 minutes. What time is it when he is finished?	Earth and Space: Have a look at the stars. Take a picture of them using a phone or tablet. Next, magnify that picture. What do you notice? What are the differences between the two pictures? Write down your observations and compare and contrast the two pictures.	Other: Help your family make a meal. Try to make a family favorite or one that is a family recipe. (See math task for the next step.)

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.

Newsletter Week of April 23rd

Dear parents, 

This past week, students practiced creating podcasts. They used their understanding of planets as the topic and Garage Band as the format. Hopefully, we can get these published to their blogs later this week. Click HERE to find a list of podcasts that are great for kids to listen to. I especially recommend the one titled Wow in the World.

Students enjoyed sharing their fiction writing with other grade three students. Check out the photo section on the blog to see some pictures of your child sharing.

Reminder: Students will be taking the reading portion of the MAPs test in the morning on Monday, April 23. Please make sure they get a good nights sleep Sunday night and arrive at school on time. 

Save the date: On May 30th from 8:15-9:00a.m., Grade Three will host a Poetry Parent Share. We look forward to seeing you then!

Monday will be a Day 3

Reading

This week students will finish up comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between the two planets that they researched. This will be followed by a summative culminating activity. The activity will provide students with different choices for how they want to synthesize and present their research to the grade.

Writing

Students will be using this writing time to create reports about our planets. Also, time will be spent during writing to plan and design a model of their satellite.

Math

Students will practice placing fractions between 0 and 1 on a number line. The will also practice putting fractions greater than one on the number line. They will also begin to explore equivalent fractions. Here is a great link for various math apps to practice their fact fluency. 

Science

Students will become engineers and use the design thinking model to think about satellites and how to build one and land it successfully. They will work in collaborative teams, using recycled material, to build a satellite.

Week of April 23. Please complete 2 activities and bring in to share on Friday, April 27.

Math: Show  ¾  in 4 different ways.	Language arts: Write a blog post about Earth week: What did you do during Earth Week? What do you plan to do going forward? Why is Earth Week important?	Language arts: Conduct research about something in our solar system other than a planet: dwarf planets, moons, International Space Station, comets, asteroids, etc.  Write down your notes in the home learning journal.
Math: Practice your division and multiplication facts (online,flashcards, games) Note to parents: It is important that continued consistent practice of both multiplication and division continues at home.	Earth and Space: Take two objects of two different weights. Lift them up to the same height and then drop them at the same time. What do you notice? Try other objects. Write your thoughts down in your journal.	Other: Draw/design your own made-up solar system. Does it have one star or two? How many planets? What do they look like? What else might be in your solar system? (asteroids, moons, comets, etc)

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.

Newsletter Week of April 16th

Dear parents, 

This past week, students were fascinated to learn about the sunrises and sunsets of different cities around the world, noticing the differences from one day to the next as well as from one location to the next. They also studied their shadows at different times of the day to make connections between the Earth and Sun and how it impacts day and night.

This week is Earth Week at Melawati. Please read the newsletter from the GLC or in the Panther News for more information on that.

On Thursday morning, April 19th, students will be taking the first part of the MAPs test. Please make sure that your child has a good night's sleep and arrives on time.

Monday will be a Day 4

Reading

Students will begin research on a second planet this week. 

By the end of this week, they will have learned a significant amount about one inner planet and one outer planet. 

They will continue to engage in discussions with others to help further synthasize information. Finally, they will use the two planets to compare and contrast their similarities and differences.

Writing

We will be finishing up our fantasy writing unit this week. Students will have an opportunity to share their final drafts at the end of the week with other third graders. 

Math

Students will be comparing fractions this week. They will compare unit fractions by reasoning about their size using fraction strips and compare unit fractions with different sized models representing the whole.

Science

Students will continue to look for predictable patterns about the Sun, the Moon and the Earth and how they interact.

Week of April 16. Please complete 2 activities and bring in to share on Friday, April 20th.

Math: A second grader thinks one tenth is bigger than one sixth because ten is bigger than six. Please use pictures, numbers, and words to PROVE that the second grader is wrong.	Language arts: Think of your favorite fairytale. Think about what would happen next. Write the sequel in your home learning journal... For example: The Gingerbread Man 2: Gingerbreads Revenge	Language arts: -Research information about a planet that you have not researched in class. -Compare it with one of the planets you learned about in class. -Write down important notes in your home learning journal.
Math: Practice your division and multiplication facts. --online --flashcards --game	Earth and Space: Design a rocket that could take you to Mars. What would it need? What technology must it have? Label your design.	Other: Build a rocket that could take you to Mars out of materials found at home.

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.

Newsletter Week of April 9th

Dear Parents,

Students had lots of questions and were very eager to begin our new Earth and Space unit. The tuning in activities helped to generate wonderings and build excitement. 

Similar enthusiasm and wonderings came up as we started our final math unit of the school year on Fractions. Here again are the vocabulary words for the unit.

We begin the week on Day 5

Reading

Students will conduct research on a planet that they are interested in learning about. They will use a variety of texts and digital materials, synthesise the important information about their subtopics, and record it in their own words. You can find out more about this unit, including vocabulary and resources by clicking HERE.

Writing

Students are continuing with fiction writing. They will continue to write adapted fairytales, but also branch out into other fantasy and creative writing choices. Additionally, students will begin to look at writing longer and more detailed/complex sentences. 

Math

Students will continue to practice partitioning shapes into equal parts. They will explain a unit fraction as part of a whole. They will represent/show different fractions and explain their representation.

Science

Students will take a look at some of the important technological developments throughout history

that have enabled us to learn more about the solar system. They will explore how technology helps us learn about the Solar System and beyond.

Week of April 9, 2018.

Please complete 2 activities and bring in to share on Friday, April 13th.

Math: Draw different rectangles, squares, and other regular polygons. Partition them into equal halves, thirds, fourths, etc.	Language arts: Write a fiction story that takes place in Space. Include characters, space setting, problem, and solution. Also, what lesson can the reader learn?	Language arts: Research information about the Sun or Moon. Write down important notes in your home learning journal. Also, make a word bank (glossary) of expert words.
Math: Practice your division and multiplication facts (games, flashcards, online practice, quizzes, etc).	Earth and Space: Go outside after 7:30PM or before 7 AM. Look up at the sky. What do you see? List and/or sketch what you notice.	Other: Build a solar system (planets, sun, etc) out of recycled materials. Sketch it in your journal, bring it in to class, or take a photo and send it to your teacher.

Remember: Reading is just what we do. It is expected each night.