Boys vs Girls

Our class has been having a friendly competition to see whether the girls test average is better than the boys test average on their reading and math tests. So far the girls had the better average on both, but the boys were not far behind! They enjoyed an ALL GIRLS lunch bunch as their reward for their hard work!

Reading Challenge

We have challenged our third grade readers to read 200 minutes during the Holiday Break. The students can choose how they want to break the minutes up over the days of the break, as long as they reach a total of 200. This challenge is optional, but each student who meets this challenge will earn 10 monkey moolah dollars. Will you be up for this challenge?? Good Luck!!

Division

In Math workshop, students are looking at math story problems that involve division! Students quickly realized that division and multiplication story problems are related. In multiplication, you know the number of groups and how much is in each group, you are just trying to find the product.  In division problems, you know the total and you are either sharing or finding how many groups. 

The anchor charts below show a variety of different strategies for solving division problems.  The students are making incredible connections and their division work is progressing daily!

Students answer the following question: 

Mrs. Shaffer has 18 pencils. She wants to share them with herself and two friends. How many pencils will each person get? 

Leave us your answer in a comment below. Don't forget to include your first name only! :) 

iReady and Reflex Math

Third Grade Parents,

We would like to direct your attention to two invaluable online resources that your child can use to enhance their academic development in math.  These two resources are iReady and Reflex Math.  Both programs have been purchased for students to use at home by Duval County Public Schools. 

What is iReady?

The iReady Diagnostic and Instruction program is an online, interactive learning environment designed to assess students and then provide individualized instruction based on each student’s unique needs. The exciting format and engaging content, as well as the Study Buddies and other interesting, contemporary characters, draw in students right away.  The iReady experience builds students’ investment in their learning by giving them real-time feedback on their progress in each skill.  As students complete each assignment successfully, they earn credits that they can use to play games. 

What is Reflex Math?

Reflex Math is an adaptive online system that helps students to become fluent with their math facts.  Reflex Math adapts itself to each individual student. Over the course of a student’s first few sessions, Reflex learns which facts and fact families the student is not yet fluent with. It uses this information when making instructional decisions for the students.  This means that students won’t spend time learning facts that they already know.  Reflex Math is presented in an engaging, gaming fashion.  Students love making their avatar and buying items from the store when they earn tokens.  At this point in the year, Reflex Math has changed from addition and subtraction to multiplication and division. Fluency is an important component to a well-balanced approach to mathematics.

When should students use iReady and Reflex Math?

While we know that many students often have commitments outside of school, we highly encourage students to use these programs as often as they can.  Switching between the two programs several times a week would be fantastic! It takes around 20 minutes to finish a session in each program.  For Reflex Math, students will want work towards earning a “green light” to know they have completed the day’s session.  Weekends and days off school are also great times to log on to these programs.  Teachers also monitor the use of each child’s progress in each program. 

How can my child log on to Reflex Math and iReady?

All students have log on information to these programs in the back of their student planner.  Also, the link for each program is linked to our class blog www.chetslearningadventure.blogspot.com. At this point in the year, students have logged on several times to each program so they shouldn’t need much help logging on. 

Thank you in advance for encouraging the regular use of these amazing tools at home.  As always, if you have any questions about these programs, please feel free to contact us via email.  We appreciate your support!

Sincerely, Mrs. Shaffer, Ms. Symons & Mrs. Rossignol

Field Trip Time

Today we were able to take a grade level field trip to IMAX.  After a short bus ride to World Golf Village, we arrived and were given our 3D glasses.  We enjoyed seeing Great White Sharks and Into the Arctic.  Then we got to enjoy a picnic lunch and play some games outside in the field.  What a fun day!

Publishing Party

 Our students have been working hard writing fictional stories that explain an illustration in the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Today we enjoyed sharing our creative pieces during our publishing party! Great job writers!! We are so proud of all your hard work!!

Promise to Kate

Our class will be supporting "Promise to Kate" for our "Season of Giving" project this year. Kate was born with myotonic muscular dystrophy which is an inherited gene that laid quietly in their gene pool. Kate's parents, Elizabeth and Dave Conte, founded "Promise to Kate," a foundation that embodies their promise to raise money to cure the disease. The money they raise goes to fund research but also helps families who need services of Wolfson Children's Hospital. Elizabeth is a teacher here at Chets Creek and she came with Kate to speak to our class about their organization. Our students were quite impressed with Kate and her strength. Our class will be making special ornaments that will be on display in the front lobby. In receipt of your donation to this wonderful cause you will receive one of these special ornaments.

Multiplication and Arrays

This week in math, students have been working with arrays. They have learned that arrays are an arrangement of things in equal rows and columns.  Arrays are a fantastic model that easily allows students to visualize "groups of" things (multiplication). Students have learned how to identify the dimensions of arrays (rows, columns), how to skip count to find the total, and how to break down arrays into smaller, easier arrays. Check out our anchor chart from today's math lesson.

Visualize an array that is 6 x 7. What smaller arrays can you break a 6 x 7 array in to? Leave us a comment with your answer. 

Reading Test Taking Top Banana

This year our students have been working really hard to focus on "doing their best on the test" by using all the awesome test taking strategies we are learning. That way when they finish their test they will be proud of their hard work. A Reading Test Taking Top Banana is selected each week for their hard work on their reading test. Each nine weeks, all the students who earned the Reading Top Banana get to participate in a pizza party lunch. Congratulations to our first nine weeks Reading Test Taking Top Bananas! We are so proud of all your hard work.

The Jungle Journal: November 4th through November 8th

  

Reader’s Workshop                                                                      

This week we will continue to recognize that a character’s actions are a window into the sort of person he or she is. We will be identifying portions of the text where a character behaves strangely, and instead of thinking, “That’s weird,” we will work to consider possible reasons for this out of character behavior. What could be the motivation behind this change? Has something changed or were our previous ideas about a character simply too simplistic. Characters-like people- are not just one way!  Our Reading Top Banana this week is Tabitha! Way to use all your strategies!! We are really proud of all the students who are doing their Brain Builders! Thank you for encouraging your child to complete these!                  

 Writer’s Workshop                                                                      

This week we will continue to work on writing a fictional story that explains an illustration in the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  We will be making sure our stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. We will be learning about paragraphs and when to indent. We will also be learning how to add similes to our writing. Ask your child about their mystery story! 

Skills                                                                                            

 We will have a skills test on Friday. Students will be working on list 7 of spelling this week. Students should study and complete one of the homework options for list 4. The quiz will also cover our skills topic of the week, text talk vocabulary.  Our daily skills sheet (in their ROAR folder) will serve as their study guide. 

Math Workshop                                                                

 We are continuing our study of Equal Groups, with a focus on skip counting and 100s charts.  We highlighted the multiples of numbers 2 through 12 (and 20!) and noticed relationships and patterns with multiples.  For example:  we noticed,

·         *  If a number is a multiple of 10, it is also a multiple of 5.

·         *  If a number is a multiple of 8, it is also a multiple of 2 and 4.

Students can use their 100s charts to help them skip count.  Ask your child to explain the following related problem set:  Oscar bought 4 juice packs.  Each pack has 6 juice boxes in it.  How many juice boxes did he buy?  Jessica  bought 8 juice packs.  Each pack has 6 juice boxes in it.  How many juice boxes did he buy?  Have your child explain what they did to solve.  Think about ways that you can use the first equation to help solve the second equation.

There will be a Math Quiz on Wednesday, November 6^th.  Your child should review their multiples charts and workbook pages 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 to prepare. 

 

Science                                                                                                  

We are starting a new unit of study called Forms of Energy.  We will be discussing that energy can cause motion or create change as well as some ways that energy can change form.  Your child will also learn how light is reflected, refracted, and absorbed; how heat energy and light energy affect matter; how heat and light can be produced; and how blocking light forms shadows.                                                                                     

Ask your child to see their new unit cover page they created in their Science Journal.  This is a routine we follow at the start of each unit.  Following the unit cover page, you will find the essential questions, vocabulary, and A-Ha Connections pages!           

Social Studies                                                                              

We are studying Chapter 7, Lesson 1:  Citizens Make a Difference and Chapter 7, Lesson 2:  Rights and Responsibilities this week.  Please be sure to study the blue sheet nightly to be prepared for the quiz on Friday, November 8^th.      

Extra Information & Field Trip                                                                    

There is an upcoming field trip to IMAX.  Students will see two movies in 3D: Great White Shark and To the Arctic.  The cost for students, due 11/22, is $14.  The cost for chaperones is $9.  The field trip is on Friday, December 6^th.

Thank you so much to our amazing room moms for a fun Halloween party.  We loved our games, cookies, and crafts.

Wednesday, November 6th:  Early Dismissal

Friday, November 8th:  Picture Retakes

No School on Monday, November 11th to recognize Veteran's Day.  

Report Cards are being sent home on Monday, November 4th.  Please review, sign the bottom right portion, and return it inside the envelope by Thursday.  Awards ceremony is Thursday, November 7th at 9:15, in the dining room.