THE VASQUEZ VOICE

Ms. Vasquez's Class Newsletter

Curriculum Corner

Literacy

We recently received our first shipment of "National Geographic Explorer" magazines!  They are an excellent resource to support our goal this year to improve students' non-fiction reading strategies and skills. 

Here is what we will be doing for the next four weeks:

November 2-6:  Narrative Elements Project; National Geographic Explorer Magazine

Students will finish the final copies of their Narrative Elements Projects.  Also, they will read and complete non-fiction reading activities with two National Geographic Explorer Magazines, entitled "Frightening Animals," and "Fooled You!" which deals with mimicry.

November 9-13:  Leah's Pony

This is an historical fiction story set in the Great Depression.  Our focus will be on fact and opinion, and how the author writes to convey the mood.  The students will record questions and opinions they have about the story, will exchange with another student, and will respond to that student's questions and opinions in writing.

November 16-24:  Yippee Yay!  A Book About Cowboys

This is a narrative non-fiction book about the life of a cowboy.  The students will work in groups to identify the main idea of sections of the book and will share their ideas with the class.  All students will complete a layer book in which the main idea is stated on each "layer" and the details are illustrated. This will definitely be a project that will be included in the portfolio!

Writing

Currently, the students are working on these goals:  see yourself as a writer; write with an audience in mind; include a creative title; include details that entertain the reader; use suggestions to revise your writing; and use proper conventions. 

We are in the process of writing "How-to" Essays, which describe steps in a process.  The focus is on organizing the steps, including details to explain how to perform the steps, and using voice to express personality in writing.  Essays will be presented to the class, so be prepared to have your son/daughter ask to bring materials to class to serve as visual aids.  Presentations will be Wednesday, November 11.

Our next writing task will be a persuasive letter.  Students will learn the format for a friendly letter and how to include persuasive elements to communicate an opinion or call to action.  Final copies will be typed on the computer using Microsoft Word, both with the laptops in the classroom and in the computer lab.

Spelling

If your child needs challenge words, I will add words from our curriculum to his/her “Words to Learn” list.  Spelling dictation sentences will also become a part of the unit tests beginning with Unit 3. 

November: 

Unit 4: Spelling patterns for /ou/ spelled ou and ow; contractions; words with silent letters; and

             words are easier to spell when each word part is spelled separately.

Unit 5: A vowel followed by r stands for a new sound; homophones; spelling patterns for /u/ and

            /yu/; and spelling patterns for the k sound spelled c, k, ck, qu, and ch.

December:

Unit 6:  Spelling patterns for long e; consonant digraphs (ch, th, sh, wh); plurals; possessive

             pronouns; long vowels

Unit 7:  Spelling patterns for /oi/ (oi and oy); compound words; suffixes; visual skills; silent letters

January:

Unit 8:  Irregular verbs; spelling patterns for /s/ (s, ss, ce, ci, and cy); similes; homophones;

             contractions

Unit 9:  Spelling patterns for long /i/ (y, igh, ind, i, and i-consonant-e); prefixes and suffixes;

             irregular spellings; compound words; homophones

February: 

Unit 10:  Spelling patterns for /j/ (j, ge, gi, and gy); spelling patterns for /s/ (s, ss, ce, ci, and cy);

                spelling patterns for /o/ ( o, al, au, and aw); homographs; prefixes  

Math: Unit 4, Multiplication and Division

Unit 4 focuses on relationship between multiplication and division through multiples of equal groups, equal sharing, and equal grouping.  The students use arrays, mental arithmetic, algorithms on paper, and calculators to solve problems involving the multiplication of multi-digit numbers. 

Subtraction facts will be the focus this quarter, with multiplication and division to follow in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

I have administered a pretest for subtraction facts. This assessment will be in the pocket of your child's data notebook by the end of the first week in November and will be recorded on the "Math Performance Summary" sheet.  A post test will be given at the end of the quarter and will be used for a grade on your child's report card.

This quarter, we are learning the subtraction algorithms. The trade first algorithm is the algorithm your child will be expected to demonstrate proficiently. I will also teach the "Same Change" method and the counting up method so the children have multiple methods for solving multi-digit subtraction problems. I have given the pretest for this algorithm (see pocket of data notebook and "Math Performance Summary" sheet in data notebook ) and will administer a post test at the end of the quarter.

The new edition of Everyday Math has added an “Open Response” item to each unit test.  The children must show how they answered the problem by "Organizing" by drawing pictures or completing charts, tables, or diagrams, "Calculate" writing number models, and "Explaining" by answering the question in a sentence.  Students are also encouraged to show another solution to the problem. 

These problems are multi-step problems that have multiple solutions.  We will complete a practice open response item in class, either independently, in partners, in cooperative groups, or as a whole class.  I will provide feedback to students on this practice item to help them be successful when completing a similar problem for the test.  A ten-point evaluation sheet will be attached to your child's practice problem.  The goal is to earn 8-10 points.  Eight points is considered to be proficient, and 9 or 10 points is advanced.  Your child should use this score to set goals for improvement.  The final evaluation will have this chart attached as well.  This information will be recorded by your child in his/her data notebook along with a reflection to encourage goal setting.

Since using reference skills is an emphasis in third grade, I am encouraging students to use their Student Reference Books (SRB's) first when they need assistance. Encourage your child to do the same by noting the "SRB" icon on the Home Links. When children learn to look up information themselves, they tend to remember it better than if they are simply told the information. Becoming independent learners is a goal for all third graders.

Science: Space, Our Planet

The students will learn about stars, constellations, and planets.  They will learn why it is so hot on Venus by conducting an experiment to determine the difference between the temperatures of air in sealed and unsealed bags.  The students will learn how scientists use fossils to learn about life forms on earth in the past and and will make a model of a fossil.  They will learn about extinct animals and how they closely resemble animals living today.  Next, they will explore how the surface of the earth changes by learning about earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion, and weathering.  Our planet's air and water are next!  They will investigate the properties of air and will learn the different forms that water takes in our weather and how water changes from one state to another.

Technology Project: Famous Artist Power Point Presentation

As an extension of Ms. Gold's "Artist in a Bag" project, the students are creating one slide about their artist that will be merged into a class Power Point presentation.  The students must choose a color scheme (warm colors, cool colors, or complementary colors) and must consider the elements of art when designing their slides. 

They are learning to add text, photos from a file, Auto Shapes, Word Art, and to format these elements as well as the background to create an aesthetically pleasing composition.  They will type the information you helped them find for their Artist in a Bag book reports into text boxes and/or Auto Shapes. 

The students will also access pre-approved web sites to enhance their learning in all subject areas.  Recently, we explored fractals and attended a presentation in the gym by a guest speaker on the subject of fractals.  We plan to do an art project in class as an extension of this presentation. 

After "How-to" essays are completed, we will write persuasive letters whose final copies will be typed and printed in the computer lab.