Happy March everyone! Wow - I can't believe it is already March! I don't know about you, but I am so ready for spring weather! I am so proud of your students and how hard they are working in class! :) See below to get information on important upcoming dates and curriculum updates! There is also information on CMAS coming up in April!
Important Dates
- March 1: Report Cards come home
- March 18-22: No School - SPRING BREAK! **Send me pics of you and your family having a blast over break! I'd love to see what everyone is up to!
- March 25: No School - Teacher Work Day
- April: CMAS testing month! I am still waiting on a schedule, but we will be testing CMAS reading for 3 days one week and CMAS math for 3 days another week. Below is more information!
CMAS Information
- Please be ON TIME every day when we are testing. Kids cannot be let into the room after testing has started.
- Send a HEALTHY SNACK each day of testing. The kids need brain food to feel their best for this test! (Ideas: cheese and crackers, fruits and veggies, a sandwich, protein bar, applesauce, nuts, etc.) (NON-examples: candy, donuts, cakes, chips, nothing)
- Make sure your student is going to be on time, or earlier! They need to be well rested - these tests are mentally exhausting so we want to make sure everyone starts off feeling alert and well rested.
- Eat a healthy breakfast BEFORE school. Start your day off right!
- Help your student practice the online tests at home (see button above). Not only do they need to be comfortable with the types of questions and how to answer, but there are many tools available to them that they need to be familiar with.
- During the tests, I CANNOT give any support. All I can say is "Please continue working." This means your child needs to have the confidence in themselves to do their very best! PUMP THEM UP!
- TOP SECRET activity for parents/guardians will be coming home soon! Please keep this secret from your kids! More information to follow. :)
HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS
We have started homework in the lead up to CMAS and entering 4th grade! I have learned this week that homework packets sent home on Monday and due Friday is not going to work for this class. From now on, every night your student will come home with a MATH WORKSHEET and a READING WORKSHEET to complete and return the following day. In addition to these two worksheets, your student is still expected to read for 20-30 minutes every night and track it in their Reading log. This should come back to school daily so I can confirm nightly reading. Homework is REQUIRED for every student in our class.
Curriculum Updates
- Math: We have moved into Unit 6 of our Math curriculum! Only 2 more units until we finish everything! This unit is all about measurement - lenght, weight, volume. Each night your child will either be completing homework tied to the lesson from class or a spiral review from previous lessons. They should be able to do this mostly independently.
- Reading: We are in Module 8 of our Reading curriculum! This unit is all about inventors and what they have brought to society! We are just finishing a book on Thomas Edison and all of his contributions! This unit has a focus on text and graphic features, central idea, author's purpose, and so much more! We have learned all of our reading skills, now we are practicing and perfecting them! I hope you have seen the packets coming home with the skills the kids are working on in each story.
- Writing: We have learned RACES and TIDE writing. These two types of writing will not go away. The kids will need to use these on the CMAS tests and throughout the rest of the school year. Now, we are working on persuaisve/opinion writing. We call this OREO writing (Opinion, Reason, Example/Evidence, Opinion). This format of writing is similar to TIDE writing, but it is opinion based. The kids are already working on their first paragraphs about "what parents/guardians should buy them". Sorry in advance.... they're pretty persuasive!
- Social Studies: I am sure you have now heard that 3rd grade has turned into an economy! The kids recieve a weekly pay check and bonus pay for positive behavior, homework, kindness, etc. They also have to pay rent for their desk/chair, chromebooks, and pencils. There fun things they can purchase such as seat choice, no shoes for a lesson, lunch bunch, and treasure box visits. There are also fines for missing/late homework/assignments, bad decisions, talking in the hallway/bathroom, being disrespectful, etc. We are doing lessons on planning for a budget and surprises! We are also going to learn about producers and consumers and how they impact supply and demand. I love how hands on this unit is and I hope your students are enjoying it too!
