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Dear Parents/Guardians,

Hope all is well! We are approaching Spring Break, (can you believe it)????? I know the children are excited and I know you'll be surprised to hear this, so am I. (SMILE)!

Report cards will go out at the end of this week. They will be sent home with your child.

This week we will do the following:

<strong>LANGUAGE ARTS:</strong>

We will complete "<em>Scraps of Time, 1960."</em> We will have a round-table discussion or book talk based on the story. We will eat the favorite treat of the two characters in the story, Abby and Patsy. The children absolutely loved this book. I thank you for purchasing it for them. Learning about history through the voices of children the same ages as our students is an excellent way for students to understand how even children can help to make a difference in the world.

I am asking the children to share parts of the book with you as a part of their thirty minute reading homework assignment this week. They can choose to read with you, to you or you may take turns. If your child decides to read parts of the story with you, please encourage them to summarize what happened before that point.

We will take a test on <em>Scraps of Time.</em> We will also have a writing/art assignment based on the book. Please look around your house for things, (things that remind you of something special in your life),  that you think you would like your child to share with their children or grandchildren when they grow up. Your child will be doing the same thing. These memorable items should be placed in a zip lock bag and should be brought in by your child the first day after spring break.

<strong>MATH:</strong>

This week we will begin Unit 7. I have decided to teach various lessons in Unit 6 along with Unit 7. Unit 6 focus is geometry. Unit 7 extends multiplication and division concepts and therefore offers continuity to what we have been learning thus far. Please check your child's assignment book for homework given during the week. Please continue to push your child's learning of the basic multiplication facts. The quick recall of these facts is not only necessary to learning division but also  builds childrens confidence in learning multi-digit multiplication and long division.

<strong>SOCIAL STUDIES:</strong>

We are making a map of the world. We are also still working in <em>Map Essentials</em>. We just learned about the hemispheres and how we can find locations based on knowing them. We are also still learning all the U. S. states and their location. We will begin Activity 7 in "Map Essentials." This lesson will help us to understand landforms.

We will also continue to learn about Illinois and Chicago. This is a part of the third grade Illinois curriculum and will support the third grade play to be presented in May.

SCIENCE:

We will learn about earth materials. This week we will examine mock rocks, or pretend rocks that I had to make using flour, sand, gravel, alumn, salt and water.

<strong><em>HAVE                            A                      GREAT                   WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</em></strong>