Catie's Third Grade Class Blog: Introduction to third grade:

Third grade is an exciting year full of learning, challenge, and fun. Our main theme in 3rd grade is Portland, our home and city. Over the course of the year we’ll study the First People of Portland, native plants/animals, salmon, geology, post-white-settlement Portland, Portland geography, and modern Portland. A big highlight of this year is “Portland: A Musical.” This musical production is an annual tradition here at Sunnyside that is fun, hard work, and an amazing learning experience. Your children will fall in love and be very knowledgeable about this city by the end of the year.

Weaved in and out of this Portland theme are a Reader’s Workshop that focuses on teaching students to become focused, independent, and diverse readers and a Writer’s Workshop that teaches students to write effectively in a variety of genres. Our Bridges Math program will hone students’ skills in addition/subtraction and introduce multiplication, division, fractions, and geometry.

In addition to these academic skills, third grade will continue to focus on social and community-building skills. We will build these skills through Morning Meetings, sharing, games, reflection, and gratitude. As a school and a third grade team, we feel that we are not just educating children, but citizens.

I will go into more detail about our curriculum, answer questions, and present volunteering opportunities at our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 13th at 6:00 pm. I hope to see you there!

For class updates, please bookmark and check our class blog, catieandclass.blogspot.com. The best way to contact me is e-mail, at ckgriesdorn@gmail.com.

If your child is absent due to an illness I am happy to provide an overview of the work they missed in class that day or for those days they are out sick. Inevitably there are times when trips need to happen during the school year and your student should be assured that although they are missing class time, I encourage them to embrace the learning opportunities outside the walls of our school. Parents often ask me for a packet to bring along to keep their child engaged in some learning and kept busy in a car or on a plane, but I don't assign "trip work" packets. Trips on their own have the potential to be rich learning experiences from airport or car, to destination and back. Instead I ask that students keep a journal, photo journal or scrapbook of their trip which could be shared with me upon their return to class. They are also welcome to share these with the class, but I don't require them to do so. Finding a secret spot and having a special little journal in hand in which to write and sketch what they see is infinitely more valuable to your child than me giving them a story prompt. If you do want your child to have some 3rd grade-level busy work during travel you could visit Learning Palace or a similar store to purchase 3rd grade skills workbooks. The following are some ideas for meaningful learning during trips:

Math:
Have your child use math, reading and writing skills as often as possible. Have them pay for things and count change or add up the coins received back, use maps, figure out elapsed time or the time an activity took to complete, compare prices of menu items, look for patterns in nature or architecture, estimate the time it will take to complete an activity, collect data of some kind and create a bar graph (cars vs. trucks on a five mile stretch of road or the kinds of people around you on the plane who order soda vs. juice for example), etc.

Writing:
Have them bring their writer's notebook or more fun, have them choose and buy a special little notebook just for the trip where they can sketch possible characters, special spots or images to use in future writing. Everyone and everything they see can be given new life as a character or setting in future writing. A little set of colored pencils or tiny watercolors to go along with it can make it more fun as well. Have your child write and mail a postcard or letter to our class (even if it arrives after they return). Our school's address is 3421 SE Salmon St., PDX 97214. Thank you notes for guest accommodations or for hotel operators is always fun, too.

Reading:
Trips can be made more fun if your child is taken to the library or to Powell's for a special trip book or two. Perhaps they could visit a local book store at your destination where they can choose a book to read or purchase for the time they are there or for the trip back. As time permits, be sure they read at least 30 minutes or more each day.

Science or Social Studies:
We study rocks and minerals in 3rd grade and it's always a joy for kids when we begin this unit in winter to bring in a special rock from a place they have visited during the year. We also learn about the first peoples who lived on this land long before white settlers came to what is now known as Portland. It can be interesting for kids to learn about other first peoples who lived in places you visit. Just learning a bit about the history of a new place with a city walking tour, nature hike, scenic route or collecting little souvenirs or scraps can be fun for your child as well.

Catie's Third Grade Class Blog

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Introduction to third grade:

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