A Note from Mrs. Jordan

January 26, 2015

 

Curriculum Update

Math

It is essential that the children learn their unknown multiplication facts at home in order to become more confident and capable when it comes to division.  This month, the children have learned a variety of strategies to solve multiplication and division problems.  They should continue to work on fact fluency at home.   

 

They will be using division to solve real world problems.   In class, the children created their own word problems and we created a packet of division problems to work on.  We are developing an understanding of long division.  In third grade the children are able to use base ten blocks to help them solve these difficult problems. It is exciting to see the progress that the children have made so far this term in math.   

 

Reading

I have been very pleased with the effort that the children have been putting into their reading.  We have been working in small groups to have book discussions.  I have also been teaching the children how to answer open response questions.  They will continue to work on writing accurate responses with details from the variety of genres that they are given. 

Over the past few weeks we have read books related to the Underground Railroad, slavery, segregation, and Martin Luther King Jr.  We are working on finishing our reflections about these stories on Kidblog.  Ask your child about one of the books we have read; Henry’s Freedom Box, White Water, These Hands, Wille Mays, Martins Big Words, and the biography Martin Luther Jr.  These stories help us to understand what life was like during slavery and in the south before and after the Civil War.  We talked about the power of words and actions.  You would be surprised by the empathy that 8 and 9 year old children possess. Our discussions have been wonderful!

 

Writing

We are wrapping up opinion/ persuasive writing.  We are focusing on writing about different book genres and how to answer questions with supporting details from texts.  We have also been using kidblog as a tool to share our understanding and thoughts. 

 

Science

We are studying matter.  We will be learning about the three forms of matter; solid, liquid, and gas.  They will learn the difference between a physical and chemical change.  We will be doing some experiments in class to solidify our understanding.

 

Thank you for sending in supplies for experiments! 

 Coming Soon-

I will be sending home a letter about Valentine's Day.  We do exchange Valentines.  Look for the letter in your child's folder this week.

 

SNOW DAYS- Today, we talked about fun things to do if it snows.  Please feel free to email me pictures of your "Snow Day Adventures"  and I will post them on our blog. 

 

Wish List

I am working very hard to keep our classroom sanitized.  I have been using wipes daily.  I have also been reminding the kids to wash their hands throughout the day.  If anyone would like to send in Lysol wipes I would greatly appreciate it.  Also, the kids and I would love some tissues and foaming hand sanitizer.

As always, I thank you for your continued support!

 

Mrs. Jordan