We enjoyed a great assembly yesterday. She taught us a lot about how to keep our bodies healthy, how to maintain our energy, and even a little bit about music! Check out these videos of our fun!
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Today we will learn how to multiply by 9's. Although 9's are not a count by we normally know coming into 3rd grade, it is full of so many great patterns, it's an important one to talk about sooner rather than later. Here are some patterns we will notice.... 1. If you are trying to solve any 9 fact, you can first multiply the the opposite factor by 10. Then subtract the same factor from the product. i.e. 9x7..... first multiply 7x10=70...then subtract 7, 70-7=63, 9x7=63 9x5...first multiply 5x10=50...then subtract 5, 50-5=45 2. If you add the numbers of any 9 fact product, the answer is always 9. i.e. 9x7= 63. 6+3=9; 9x8=72, 7+2=9 3. The last digit always goes 9, 8, 7, 6, .... 4. There is also a finger trick we can use to solve our 9's...here is video that explains this: (the finger that is "red" is the finger we put down, to easily see the separation between the tens and ones place. Your child will be doing some amazing work in the area of writing this week! We have taken a lot of time the last few weeks to generate lots of story ideas and have also begun to draft some of these ideas. We have also learned how to incorporate details into our pieces and how to tell our pieces bit-by-bit. This week your child is going to pick an idea they want to bring to publication. We will take this idea and go through the entire writing process with it, learning how to create bold beginnings, mighty middles, and excellent endings!
Your child is working hard during math time! Each day our math hour is packed with lots of vocabulary, new concepts, and lots of practice! We worked this week on learning what division is, our 2 facts, and how to use a multiplication table! Many students are struggling at this time to understand the difference between multiplication and division. This is something that comes with lots of practice and a better understanding of what each operation does. When working with your child on math homework, highly encourage them to draw pictures, especially when completing story problems. This helps the students grasp what they are trying to solve vs. just guessing. Below are two fun movies for 2 and 5 facts! We have already learned a lot about what good readers do. We have learned that reader's pick books that are just right for them. We learned that to become better readers we need to read wide- awake and faster, longer, stronger. We have also talked a lot about what to do when problems arise.
Sometimes when we read, we don't understand what is happening. When this happens, we normally can't visualize what is happening- our mental movie stops. Our job is to notice when this is happening and to stop, think, and reread. Other times, we have a hard time reading tricky words. When this happens, we need to use our decoding strategies (beanie baby strategies) that our K, 1st, and 2nd grade teachers taught us. We never mumble, skip, or pretend to say tricky words. Finally, we sometimes encounter words that we can read, but don't understand. When this happens we need to think hard about what those words could mean, based on the words around it. We can also use a dictionary to help us understand tricky words. Every day we start our mornings off the same way. We keep this routine the same, so that students always know what to expect.
First, they put their belongings in their locker. Then they come in and make their lunch choice. Next, they fill out their agendas. If they finish early they may read their just right books. Finally comes my favorite part...our morning meeting. During our morning meeting we review our schedule for the day. Then each student has the opportunity to give, get, share, or pass. If they choose to give, they give a compliment to another student. If they choose to get, they receive a compliment from another student. Sharing, allows them to share some good news that they have going on in their life. Or, if they don't feel like talking, they are always welcome to pass. This quick meeting allows us to build up our classroom community and allows us to get to know each other better. It's not always easy to get in reading time. With sports, meetings, and much more reading can get put on the back burner. Attached is a document that provides some suggestions on how to get your child to read each night.
We have worked our way into our first unit of math- Multiplication and Division of numbers 0-5, and 9-10. There are many concepts that are covered in this unit, first we build a very strong foundation of what multiplication is (equal groups/ repeated addition). We also work a lot on actually learning the multiplication facts. Finally, we spend a lot of time looking at patterns and real world examples of multiplication and division problems. Below is a picture of the multiplication strategies we teach in class. (picture from: http://mshroman.blogspot.com) While your child is practicing their facts, a great idea would be to have them use these strategies. For example, show them 2 flashcards and ask them to draw an array for each one. Then show them two more and have them show the repeated addition equation. Next, show them two more equations and and have them write the commutative property. This not only helps your child learn their facts, but also helps them build their knowledge of multiplication. Attached is the parent note from our curriculum on this unit.
Today we spent a lot of time putting together our homework portion of our take home binders. Here is what you should see in your child's binder.
Here is a video of your child explaining what everything is: If you like a written version better, here is an adult explanation :) 1. Agenda: Every morning we fill out our agenda TOGETHER. Your child copies what I write down. Please initial your child's agenda each night you look at it. 2. Clip Chart Info/ Promises: The next protector has our clip chart info and our promises. This is more of a FYI page. 3. Homework Divider: The next divider starts our homework section. 4. Blue Paper: This is the Weekly Wednesday Work page. You will get a new one of these each week. It will have the directions that your child will be responsible for doing before next week Wednesday. Try to do a little bit each night. Practicing math facts and reading are a nightly expectation. 5. Math Homework Pages: On the blue paper it will tell the math pages that are due, they will always be found right behind the Weekly Wednesday page. 6. Fact Practice Packet: Learning are multiplication facts takes a lot of time and practice. Practicing for a few minutes each night at home will help your child become more successful. Every week you will receive a practice packet dedicated to 1 specific fact your child has learned about in class. The first page is a game you could play with your child, the back has timed tests. The next colored page includes flash cards you can cut out and have your child use to practice. The last page is a final worksheet to use. Find what works best for your child and family. On busy days your child's practice might just be you asking them their facts in the car. Other days you might have more time to dedicate to practicing. 7. Book bag: Your child will be reading the same book at home and at school. Your child should read, even if it's just for a few minutes, each night. Every time your child reads, have them record their info on their log. We will also fill out this log in class. |
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