Hello families!
I apologize for the miscommunication! I mistakenly thought I had sent out the invitation to our class website several weeks ago, and recently discovered there was a delivery error with that message! I hope that you find this website helpful and informative, if a bit belated. :)
Important Dates:
Tuesday 9/20 6:00 pm Understanding Riggs Workshop
Friday 9/23 1:00 pm Science Unit Test on Animal Classification
Friday 9/23 6:30 pm Family Fun Night
Friday 9/29 10:50 am History & Geography Unit Test on Canada
Reminders:
Class begins promptly at 8:05. Thus, students should arrive by 8:00, to ensure that they have time to unpack and get settled prior to start of instruction. We also really enjoy having a few minutes to visit and check in with each child. Often, those 20 minutes before class offer valuable opportunities for one-on-one interactions that are difficult to achieve throughout the busy day.
Archway is being even more mindful of the uniform policies this year. Please ensure that your student is wearing shoes that are appropriate for PE every day. The issues that present themselves for PE are just as problematic at Recess. Boys need a working belt every day, and they need to know how to properly tuck in their shirts. Take a moment to ensure that no additional teaching is necessary. :) Girls may not wear any jewelry except earrings unless it is religious. In addition, please make sure that hair accessories also match their uniforms, i.e. no hot pink flowers.
Requests:
We really appreciate the help we have been receiving in Thursday reading groups! We would love additional support on Tuesdays as well! If you can schedule yourself for a few Tuesday afternoons via the Reading Group Sign-Up Genius, it would be a great help.
Our wonderful homeroom parents, Mrs. Vilaboy and Mrs. Stevenson are developing a schedule for classroom supplies. Please be looking for information about when your turn to furnish tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, or clorox wipes might be coming up!
This week at a glance:
Language Arts:
Reading- We continue to explore Shiloh together. I have been very impressed by the students' participation in some exceedingly thoughtful discussions. Through this text the students are discussing questions like "How does lying separate you from others, particularly the people you love?" and "Why do we name things? How do names create relationship?" Talks like these let me see that there is still quite a lot for me to learn in the third grade! As always, reading logs should be completed every night. The student should be reading ALOUD for twenty minutes and then writing a summary of what has been read- whether that is an entire book, a chapter, or just a handful of pages. Most students find it beneficial to discuss what they've read prior to writing the summary.
Writing- We will focus on writing letters this week. We will learn about the proper formatting and parts of a friendly letter. We will also be writing letters back to Nathaniel, the character from the first chapter of our History & Geography book.
Riggs- We will now be on the regular Riggs spelling schedule, which involves learning and testing 20 words per week. The students learn 5 words a day, Monday through Thursday. They are tested on 20 words each day, Tuesday - Friday, but only the oldest 5 words are counted for points. The rest are corrected together so that the students have a chance to learn from any mistakes and clarify any misunderstandings. In addition, we have introduced "Words for the Week." This will now be on the reverse of the Reading Log. The students are assigned one word in class to research each night, Monday-Thursday. This is designed to help them build their dictionary skills, comprehension skills, and writing skills.
History & Geography: We have concluded our Map & Map Skills unit and have now moved into our study of Canada. The students will be responsible for mastering the provinces and territories of Canada as well as the information contained in their textbooks (which they will be receiving this week). The Canada Unit Test will be on Thursday, 9/29. On Friday 9/23, we will assign a take-home project for the following week, building a Totem Pole. Specific guidelines will be sent home so that the students can discuss this project with you.
Science: This week, we are wrapping up our unit on the Classification of Animals. We will discuss and compare Reptiles and Amphibians, and then review all the classes of animals. The students will be responsible for making distinctions between the classes. A final study guide will go home on Wednesday. The test is on Friday, 9/23.
Virtue: This week the students are discussing and memorizing the virtue, Courage. If this is something you discuss as a family, please encourage your student to share their thoughts with me as well. Those one-on-one discussions can be an excellent opportunity for me to see their sense of wonder and depth of inquiry! :)
The very welcome change in seasons is fast approaching, and with it, the unwelcome viruses and bugs! I am already feeling the strain on my immune system, and I would guess the students are as well. Let's all try to get plenty of rest, exercise and nutrition to keep ourselves healthy!
Warmest Regards,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
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