<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #800080">Dear Parents/Guardians,</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #800080">Thank you to all the parents and family members that came to the Open House on Wednesday.  There is so much to do this year and I hope that you feel confident that we can help your child succeed this year.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #800080">I have very high expectations for my students from both an academic and behavioral standpoint.  I expect my students to take ownership for their actions.  I also expect that they, along with your support, will do everything possible to be successful this year in third grade.  Please also keep in mind that this will most likely prove to be the most challenging year in your child's education, thus far.  This is the first year that your child will take standardized tests, and whether we like it or not, they are high-stakes.  As I am sure you may be aware, your child's test scores dictate whether or not he or she is promoted to the fourth grade.  Therefore, we need to work vigorously and effectively this year.  I know we can do it!!!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #800080">With this being said, for the beginning weeks, I have slowly released different subjects on to the students.  This week, students will receive instruction in all subject areas and be expected to work as 3</span><sup><span style="color: #800080">rd</span></sup><span style="color: #800080"> graders.   Here are the things we are doing this week!</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: #008000">Instruction</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Literacy:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">We will continue to build our stamina for the Daily 5.  Currently we have worked on “Read-to-Self” and “Work-on-Writing”.  This week, we will also work on “Read-to Someone”.  Students are already able to read independently and silently or 20 minutes!  This is a big accomplishment because 3<sup>rd</sup> graders LOVE to talk!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">In Word Study, students are recognizing words with consonant clusters, identifying words with ending consonant clusters, recognizing phonograms with short vowel sounds, and recognizing words patterns with ending constant clusters.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">In Comprehension, students are learning the following strategies:  Making Connections, Summarizing, Predicting, Asking Questions, and Visualizing.  They are also learning the following skills:  Classify and Categorize, Cause and Effect, and Compare and Contrast.  They learn these skills by the stories we are reading in class.  The two stories we are reading this week are <span style="text-decoration: underline">Angle Child, Dragon Child</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline">The Tree House</span>.  In Grammar, students will learn more about nouns, pronouns, and verbs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify"></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #ff0000">Mathematics:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #ff0000">In Math, students will learn more about the language of chance events, finding differences, calculator routines, and money.  On Friday, students will have game day where they use what they learned during the week to play Mathematics games.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Writing:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">In Writing, we use The Units of Study of Lucy Calkins.  The minilessons will focus on the Writing Process (Getting Ideas and Prewriting), but will also focus on the following:  the routines of the Writer’s Workshop, generating more writing, the qualities of good writing, the writer’s job in a conference, and building stories step-by-step.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #008000">Science:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #008000">We will continue are unit on water in Science.  Last week we focused on looking at water and what happens to it when it touches some materials.  This week, we will learn about surface tension and water on a slope.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #0000ff">Social Studies:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify"><span style="color: #0000ff">In Social Studies, we will learn about communities and maps.  They will also learn more about the components of a map.  Students will have to create a map.  There will be a rubric as well as time to complete the project in the classroom.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify">These plans are tentative.  Sometimes, activities go longer than expected or we have an unexpected teachable moment, which causes plans to change.  Ask your child every night what we did in school.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">It is imperative that you check to see that your child is doing his or her homework every night.  It is also of utmost importance that you read all the notes that go home.  Please clean out the homework folder DAILY.  When I go through the folders in the morning and see paper that is still in the folder, I assume that you have not read the information.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify"></p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Wish List</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Please send the following with your child any time that you are able to:</p>

<ul style="text-align: justify">
	<li>Sanitizer</li>
	<li>Baby wipes</li>
	<li>Kleenex</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify">With flu season arriving, it is important that your child is here everyday. By providing these items, we can prevent germs from spreading!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify"></p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Thank you for all that you do!!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">Ms. Prasad-Heintz</p>