Week of March 18th, 2017 -18

Reminders for the Week

Let’s Thank CAC for 72 years of ………...Founder’s Day, March 20, 

ES Lawn 2:30 PM, Parents Welcome

Celebrate  our 72 Founder’s Day by saying “thank you” to CAC

From Ms. Dolly - Drama
Drama Informances:

Talent Show Link:

READING

This week in Reading, third graders will be surprised to find out that the difference between a boring text and a fascinating one is not the text itself, but the person reading it. They will learn that reading for significance, rather than just sense, and asking themselves, “Why would this be important to know?”, can make a big difference in the way we perceive texts as interesting and captivating. They will practice reading keeping possible conversations in mind, as a way to consolidate their understanding and focus on the essential parts. Readers will then talk about their topics with their partners and will practice conversation skills such as active listening and paraphrasing. Readers will also be reminded that by making connections and constantly summarizing the main ideas and supporting details, they can become experts on various topics and be able to teach others what they know.

WRITING
In Writer’s Workshop, students are learning to add ideas to the many facts they know about their topic. Although students have not completed an entire first draft of their book, students will review chapters looking for places to add additional information.They will use mentor texts to get ideas for writing an introduction to their book and for each chapter. The drafting and revising/editing of their Expert Book will continue over the next few weeks.

MATH

This week we will be finishing our module 5 study of fractions on the number line. Leading up to the assessment, our mathematicians will begin the week comparing visual models of fractions with the same numerator to clearly see that the same number of parts of different fractional units will not equal the same amount. For example, students will draw two pizzas and cut one into fourths and the other into eighths. If they are to take three slices from the pizza cut into fourths, they will have quite a larger amount of pizza than if they take three slices from the pizza cut into eighths. Students will also compare fractions with the same numerator using symbols (<, >, =) and use models they’ve learned throughout the unit to reason about their size. .  
Towards the end of the week, students will have two days to demonstrate their understanding of the fraction concepts presented throughout this unit on the end of module assessment. Prior to the assessment, mathematicians will have the opportunity to review key concepts from the unit. We encourage students to review their problem sets and homework leading up to the assessment, and to examine math walls and anchor charts in the classroom. 
Let’s work together to remind our mathematicians to read problems carefully, show their thinking in labeled diagrams and equations, and to write complete sentence answers to the specific question/s asked in the problem. 

SOCIAL STUDIES
As Social Scientists this week, we will start comparing and contrasting the cultures of different countries researched in our class. Rather than looking at the country as a whole,  students will review each cultural component (literature, leisure time, key historical events, and art, music or dance). Students will be introduced to graphic organizers such as T-Charts and Venn Diagrams, to help organize, compare and contrast country cultures. They will  synthesize the information they learn. The aim being that they will realize that although countries cultures can be different, we do also have similarities too.

From the library

Mark your calendars! The annual ES Book Parade Assembly is on April 10, the day we get back from the April break. This year, the ES Library Council has declared the theme to be GRAPHIC NOVELS! Stay tuned for more details.