Welcome to Mrs. Brown's Third Grade Class Website!

Dear Parents and Students,

Spring is here, and it’s nearly time for Spring Break!  Please remember that Milestone testing will begin right after Spring Break.  More information will be posted!

Third quarter report cards come home today.  Please sign the white envelope, and return it along with a self-addressed, stamped (2 stamps) envelope so we are able to mail home the fourth quarter report cards.  The contents of the white envelope (report card, data sheet) are yours to keep.

Fourth quarter standards are posted below!

Students will be practicing for Milestones.  We have done a practice test online, which was helpful for students to see the format of the test, as well as practice writing constructed and extended responses to questions.  We will be discussing test taking strategies, and will work on applying them while we read and respond to texts.  This week, we are comparing and contrasting two similar texts.

After scoring the opinion writing assessment, I am so impressed with how much progress the students have made in writing this year!  They took their opinion pre-assessment back in August, and the elaboration, grammar, and organization of their writing has come so far!  We will be practicing constructed and extended responses prior to Milestones, and then will return to narrative writing.

The students have created some excellent Tiny Houses using their knowledge of area and perimeter!  It was a big project, full of following directions, working diligently, and applying their knowledge.  We have moved on to elapsed time.  Please encourage students to practice elapsed time at home.  Asking them questions such as, “If we leave at 3:20, and we arrive at 5:30, how long did it take us to get there?” and “We ate dinner at 6:45, and dinner took 45 minutes to cook, what time did I start cooking?”  I am very impressed that most students know how to tell time to the minute, although many still get caught on where the hour hand goes when it’s close to the next hour (i.e. 7:52).

This week, students presented their projects on their Colonial region, and did a fabulous job!  They worked well in their groups on their posters, and practiced their presentations.  We will be discussing the perspectives of some groups of colonial people, such as large land owners, indentured servants, artisans, and farmers.  Students will be creating a game to play, and then we will be doing a Readers Theater.

Here are some upcoming dates to note:

Today through Friday, March 23^rd:  Book Fair

Thursday, March 22^nd:  International Night

Tuesday, March 27:  In-House Field Trip

Monday, April 2^nd – Friday, April 6^th:  Spring Break

Tuesday, April 10^th, Wednesday, April 11^th, Thursday, April 12^th, Monday, April 16^th and Tuesday, April 17^th:  Milestone Testing

Thank you for all you do to help with your child’s success!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank You,

Sarah Brown ([email protected])

Quarter 4 Standards

Dear Parents and Students,

March is here, and spring is in the air!  The beautiful weather has been a wonderful *hopefully* end to our snowy winter!  Here’s what we have going on in our classroom in the next few weeks:

Milestones are just weeks away!  Shortly, we will begin reviewing for the test, which we will be taking on the computers this year.

The students loved the ending of Peter Pan!  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, third grade standards go above simply reading and literal comprehension of texts.  The students did an excellent job analyzing the text, locating non-literal language, and locating evidence within the text.  We are moving back to informational writing, and will be using the text, One Well: The Story of Water on Earth.

In writing, the students have been working on opinion pieces about whether or not zoos are good.  We have watched some videos, including TED Talks, and read some articles.  The students are working hard coming up with reasons and supporting evidence for their opinion.  Next, students will examine the pros and cons of driverless cars.

We have also started learning cursive!  The students have been anxiously anticipating beginning cursive, and have begun writing some beautiful i’s and t’s!  We are also working on comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs.

In math, the students are learning about area and perimeter.  While we work in whole group and small group, students will also be creating tiny houses.  They will be determining the area and perimeter of their house, as well as furniture in their house.  Please continue to work on multiplication facts at home!  Students seem to fall into one of two categories – mastered facts and struggling with facts.  I can’t stress enough how important knowing and memorizing these facts will be for the remainder of third grade, and especially in fourth and fifth grade.

Students have begun learning about the three colonial regions:  New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern, and have been comparing and contrasting their religious beliefs, education, and economies.  We will also look at the roles of various groups, including Native Americans, artisans, and large farm owners.

Here are some upcoming dates to note:

Wednesday, March 7^th:  Spring Picture Day

Wednesday, March 14^th:  Early Release Day, STEM Day, End of 3^rd 9 Weeks

Thank you for all you do to help with your child’s success!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank You,

Sarah Brown ([email protected])

Dear Parents and Students,

First, thank you very much for all of the love and kindness that has been shared with me for Valentine’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week!  The cards, gifts, sweets, and classroom supplies have been so thoughtful!  I can’t thank you all enough for always making me feel special!

Here’s what we have going on in our classroom in the next few weeks:

We are continuing to read Peter Pan, while analyzing the characters motivations, traits, and actions.  The students have been working on writing a story about Neverland, and we will work to add in dialogue, thoughts and feelings of characters, and hopefully some figurative language.

Watch out!  We’re working on persuasive pieces and strategies, so don’t be surprised if students begin using some persuasive strategies at home!  We will focus on writing towards an audience, as well as writing strong introductions and conclusions.  Students have been writing a few persuasive pieces, and will pick one piece to focus on for the next few weeks.  We are also learning about comparative and superlative adjectives, as well as identifying adverbs.

This week, students had a short activity to share their knowledge of telling time to the minute.  I was very impressed with their knowledge and ability to tell time!  If they got stuck, it was usually when the hour hand was close to the next hour, but not yet there.  For example, many would say it was 2:50, when really it was 1:50.  We have also been working on measurement to the nearest quarter inch, and using our measurements to create line plots.  We are also working on determining the steps to solve two-step word problems.

Yesterday, we wrapped up our Science unit on Habitats of Georgia, and will begin our next unit of Social Studies today!  Students will be learning about colonization, including the New England colonies, Mid-Atlantic colonies, and Southern colonies.  Specifically, students will learn about the education, economy, and religion, as well as the perspectives of various people, such as large land owners, artisans, and children.

Here are some upcoming dates to note:

Monday, February 19^th – Friday, February 23^rd:  Winter Break

Friday, March 2^nd:  Tattling Tales visits Third Grade

Thank you for all you do to help with your child’s success!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank You,

Sarah Brown ([email protected])