Literacy: Students are diving right into The Sign of the Beaver. So far they've seemed to really enjoy the book. As the class reads the book, students are studying the perspectives of the two main characters. One main character, Attean, is a Native American boy from the Penobscot tribe. The other character, Matt, is a settler moving into the area in the late 1700's. Students will learn that perspectives can be very different due to background, culture, and personal experiences.
In the writing block we are completing research for our Passion Projects. Please send any materials your child has at home with your child for research purposes at school. I also strongly encourage you and your child to visit the library for additional resources.
Social Studies: Today students chose a neighborhood to study. We will base our study off of Kathleen Dragan's book, Rickshaw Reggie. Students will explore a neighborhood to discover the culture, history, famous landmarks, location, assets, government, and more! It would be really amazing if you were able to take your child to visit the neighborhood he/she chose for a mini-field trip! They are working with a group of three on a group project during the next couple of weeks.
Math: We've begun to learn division strategies in the math block. One new strategy that is taught in 3rd grade is called the "Partial Quotients" division strategy. If you are unfamiliar with this strategy (it is NOT the way we learned division) please take a quick look at the following video: Partial Quotients Video. We will continue to practice this during the week. I am encouraging students that prefer "Long Division" to try this strategy and learn it as a back-up strategy.
Other Important Dates:
30 BT and Project due 3/29 (Friday)
IAR Testing next week 4/1-4/4
No School 4/5 End of Quarter (This means ALL missing work must be turned in and completed by this date.)
