Dear Third Grade Parents and Families,
I hope that everyone enjoyed a peaceful Thanksgiving among family and friends. This week we welcome a new student to the third grade and are very excited to have a new friend. It is also the start of a new trimester!
As students progress through the intermediate years, they continue to take on greater responsibilities in terms of their own learning. This is why for the second trimester I have added a new component to everyone’s weekly Reading Log. In addition to recording the title and # of pages read, students will jot down a quick (2-3 sentence) summary of their reading for the night. This is meant to help students reflect on their readings as we expand our focus from fluency to the larger area of reading comprehension. This is also a great way to communicate with your child what he/she is reading while checking for understanding.
While on the subject of homework, I’d also like to remind parents that students are required to turn in their Accelerated Math a minimum of two times each week in order to receive full credit. Of course, students are welcome (and even encouraged) to turn it in more than twice, but anything less than this will begin to negatively impact individual student grades. It is also to your child’s advantage to get into this routine now as students will continue with the Accelerated Math program in 4th-8th grades.
In more news…
This is the first week of Advent! We will be making a Jesse Tree to display in our classroom with all 28 ornaments made by students.
In math, we continue our study of measurement.
In Science, we begin our study of the sun, moon, stars and the planets. This week we will focus on telescopes and even see some images from the Hubble Telescope.
In Social Studies, we will work on landform maps.
We also begin Theme 3 (“A Visit to the Southwest”) in Literature.
Don’t forget that Wednesday is a Free Dress day and Thursday we will enjoy the Harvest of the Month.
Have a great week,
Mrs. Espinosa
