Grade 3

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Teachers 

Joe Endert
Joseph.Endert@district196.org
651-683-6969 ext. 92726

Sarah Iverson
Sarah.Iverson@district196.org
651-683-6969 ext. 92733

Jody Paulsen
Jody.Paulsen@district196.org
651-683-6969 ext. 92916

Amy McIntyre
Amy.McIntyre@district196.org
651-683-6969 ext. 92777

Each third grade teacher can be reached by calling the school at 651.683.6970 as well as the district voice mail number 651.683.6969. Please do not leave urgent messages on voice mail since we are sometimes unable to check our voice mail until late in the day.

Third Grade Newsletters
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009

Classroom Management:
In the Responsive Classroom approach much attention is paid to helping children develop positive social skills. We believe that children learn the most when they are engaged with each other. The better we know the children individually, culturally, and developmentally, the more they will learn. We also value responsible classroom community membership and strive to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the classroom community. Each day we have a Morning Meeting. This powerful teaching tool:
* Builds community and creates a climate of trust
* Increases students' confidence and investment in learning
* Improves children's reading, writing, listening and speaking skills
* Encourages cooperation and inclusion
* Gives children daily practice in respectful communication

Parent Involvement:
Parents are connected to our classroom in several ways including:
Assignment Notebook:
Third graders use an Assignment Notebook. It must accompany your child to and from school each day!
The purpose of the Assignment Notebook is:
* to be a communication tool between home and school
* to keep a record of at-home reading - 100 minutes per week
* to provide a place to write assignments and upcoming events

  Tips for Parents:
* Encourage at home reading - 100 minutes every week.
* Let children know how important education is.
* Parents and teachers are a team.
* Expect children to follow the Oak Ridge expectations.
* Volunteer at school.
* Provide a consistent, quiet study time and place at home for reading and homework.
* Return the Assignment Notebook and Take-Home folder each day.
* Sign the Assignment Notebook learning log each day.
* Study with children for Friday's spelling test.
* Study with children for Friday's math fact quiz.

Birthdays:
Oak Ridge third grade students enjoy celebrating birthdays. If a student would like to bring a treat to share, it must be commercially prepared. For safety reasons, students should not bring hard candy, suckers, or gum.

Curriculum

Language Arts
Reading, writing, listening, speaking, spelling and handwriting are all-important components of language arts.  Skills and strategies in each area are modeled, taught and practiced, taking into account the unique needs of each learner.  Knowledge and skills are acquired through connected experiences between home, school and community.  Students read from a variety of texts, including fiction (short stories and whole books), poetry and nonfiction (textbooks, newspapers and magazines).  Students read and write daily.

Resources
* Classroom Libraries
* Guided Reading Resources
* Invitations to Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
* Writing, Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5
* Word Study, Word Study Lessons: Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary
* Handwriting, Zaner-Bloser

LANGUAGE ARTS TOPICS
Reading
* Read and respond to fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
* Read with expression, intonation and phrasing
* Use informational text features to enhance understanding
* Use comprehension strategies including
    * Predicting
    * Making Connections
    * Inferring
    * Questioning
    * Summarizing and
    * Evaluating
* Use elements of fiction and nonfiction to understand text

Interesting Link:
Lexile Framework for Reading

Writing
* Write narratives, essays and poetry
* Plan, compose, revise and edit pieces of writing
* Edit for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure
* Write focused, supported, organized text with appropriate word choice

Speaking and Listening
* Express ideas clearly
* Incorporate ideas of others into conversations
* Use oral presentation skills

Word Study (includes spelling, phonics and vocabulary)
* Use strategies to read and write unknown words
* Spell Must Know Words correctly and apply spelling patterns and rules
* Develop language and vocabulary concepts
* Use the dictionary and thesaurus

Handwriting
* Use cursive writing to form upper and lower case letters
* Use technology to complete writing activities

Math
The elementary school math curriculum builds students' mathematical understanding, skills and proficiency at each grade level through important mathematical concepts such as number and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, problem solving, data analysis and probability.
Math materials used in K-5 are Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley Mathematics and Investigations in Number, Data and Space.Weekly timed tests are given each Friday. A sample test is sent home on Monday for practice. Addition facts are tested first quarter, subtraction facts second quarter, multiplication facts third quarter and division facts fourth quarter.

Weekly timed tests are given each Friday. A sample test is sent home on Monday for practice. This sample test stays at home and is not returned to school. Addition facts are tested first quarter, subtraction facts second quarter, multiplication facts third quarter and division facts fourth quarter.

Interesting Links:
Figure This!
Helping Your Child Learn Math
Ask Dr. Math
Math Magic!

Social Studies
Most communities in North America were populated by people from around the globe. Students look at how and why communities have been formed and consider common attributes of communities around the world.
Students first learn about Eagan, the community. They study economic terms: scarcity, opportunity cost, production and resources to our local community. In October students study our local community in a different time by learning about the Ojibwa. In December students research countries of ethnic origin whose cultures are reflected in cities today. January and February are dedicated to the study of immigration to the United States and how migration populated farms and cities. In the spring we look at migration within our country, with a focus on agriculture in Minnesota. We also study the history of Washington, D.C.; looking at how laws are made and discussing federal government policies involving diversity.

Topics
Eagan, the Community
Ojibway
Ethnic Origins
Immigration
Citizenship
Farming
Washington, D. C.

Interesting Links:
Kids Government Museum Stuff
Smithsonian Institute
Smithsonian Exhibition

Science and Health
The Earth Materials Module brings students in touch with the basic building materials from which the earth is made. They experience simulated and real rocks, investigate minerals and their properties, and learn techniques used by geologists for taking apart and identifying several important rocks and minerals.
The Magnetism and Electricity Module explores permanent magnetism, simple electrical circuitry, and electromagnetism. Students use their knowledge to make telegraph units and develop a code system to communicate with each other.
The Measurement Module introduces students to metric measurement. They learn the standard units used to measure length, weight, fluid volume, and temperature, and use the appropriate tools in situations calling for measurement.
The Structures of Life Module introduces life into the classroom. Students germinate seeds and grow them in hydroponic gardens. We keep crayfish in the classroom and observe their fascinating structures and behaviors.
Star Lab is an inflatable dome, large enough for an entire class. Inside, a powerful projector shows the night sky. By changing the projector students can see constellation outlines, the earth, stars, planets, and the moon. Koch Refinery donated the Star lab to our school district.

Interesting Links:
Windows to the Universe
Johnson Space Center
NASA Homepage
NASA Space Link
Nine Planets
U.S. Space Camp
Welcome to the Planets

Health
Our health book, Your Health, utilizes a responsible decision making model. This model helps young people learn to evaluate the consequences of their actions. Our third grade curriculum focuses on: mental/emotional health, interpersonal relationships, drugs (prescriptions and inhalants), safety, environmental health and body systems.

Interesting Web Links:
Kids on the Web
International Kid's Space