Weekly Update

Weekly Update for the week of November 16-November 20

 

Writing Workshop:

If we want our 3rd grade writers to do something well, it helps to both tell them and show them what we expect.  Therefore, last week the students were immersed in analyzing nonfiction mentor texts in our classroom.  We can showcase a writing skill or structure by using mentor texts--and this will inspire our young writers to then go off and put it in their own writing. After a lot of observations, charting and discussing...our writers generated the following ideas...

 

We were proud of the effort put forth by each partnership.  The lists generated above will be used throughout our nonfiction unit and will be visual reminders as to what good writers put in their informational books.  Below are a few partnerships hard at work...

 

Yousif and David

 

 

Brooke and Madison

 

Sarah and Dimitri

Marc D and Keegan

 

 

Reading Workshop:

Last week in reading, we began our nonfiction unit. We learned that readers preview the text before reading by paying attention to text features to tap prior knowledge.  When we activate our background knowledge, we are connecting what we already know to the content being studied.

We also practiced pausing and paraphrasing information by putting it into our own words to strengthen our comprehension before reading on.  Lastly, we learned that readers locate the main idea by looking at the first and last sentence of a paragraph.  This is a skill that is extremely important and will be used throughout their reading lives.   

 

Daniella reading at IDR time.

 

Ryan reading at IDR time.

 

Keegan and Madison are involved in a strategy group  during IDR time.  Here you can see them building words with the long e vowel pattern.  This will help them transfer word study patterns into their writing and also help them recognize long e words in their just right books.

 

Mathematics: 

 

Last week we began Unit 3 in math.  Before the first lesson, the students did a Chalk Talk visible thinking routine.  The #1 rule to this is no talking--you talk with the chalk/writing utensil.  This allows every student to have a voice and an opportunity to share his/her thinking.  The students shared what they knew about measurement---

This group is activating their background knowledge of measurement.

 

Here you can see a group listing the units of measurement that they know.

The group above is writing down jobs that use measurement

This group is writing down things that need to be measured.

 

Next, the students measured with nonstandard and standard units.  They had to measure and draw line segments to the nearest inch, half inch and fourth inch.  We then measured lengths to the nearest quarter inch and graphed the data on a line plot. 

 

Social Studies:

Last week, we started our region tour of the Northeast.  The students shared their travel interviews and shared any souvenirs from that region.  Both A.J. and Eden-Grace shared interesting mementos that ignited some excitement for what we will learn about in the upcoming weeks!  Thank you families for returning the travel log page--we will do this for each region that we study so if you have souvenirs from other regions, we'd love for you to send them in at the designated time!