It is hard to believe the year is half over already!  Please understand how important each and every day of third grade is.  We cover so many new skills each day.  I mention this so you will think twice about keeping your children out of school.  Of course children get sick and we don't want them coming to school sick, but we also do not want children being able to take a day off of school for no reason.  Also, if your child has an appointment during the day, please have them to school before their appointment and bring them back after.  Thank you for understanding how important each and every moment is in your child's education:)

Reading:  In order to help the children be ready for the FCAT test, we have been practicing question/answer strategies that will serve them well.  These are the steps we have been following:  
1.  Read the questions first.
2.  Underline and circle  important words in the questions.
3.  Code the questions (H for  "in the head" and T for "in the text")
4.  Read the passage underlining and circling important parts relating to the questions.   Sometimes we even write the number of the question beside the part of the passage it answers.
5.  Return to the questions and answer them looking back at the information in the passage. 

We finished Because of Winn-Dixie.  The children really got a lot out of this wonderfully touching story!  We will decide Monday which story to read next.  I will present the children with a few options and then they will vote on which they would like to hear.  Stay tuned...

We will be doing some in depth work with folktales and fables.  We will delve into this genre and see what similar characteristics we can discover.  

Language:  The children will be working on identifying 2 kinds of verbs - action verb and linking verbs.  They will also be expected to tell what tense the verbs are in.  

Spelling:  Spelling words are getting progressively harder.  It is imperative that the children have some practice with these words t home at least 3 times per week.  The children and I have talked about the fact that they may not have had to study in the beginning of the year but now they may need to because the words are more difficult.

This week the children will be working with the sounds of ou and ow.  The spelling words for this week will be: found, town, shout, owl, couch, bow, scout, round, plow, crowd, proud, clouds, ground, louder, bounce, snowplow, and outline.  The sight words will be:  sure, already, together.  

Math:  The children will continue to be introduced to multiplication facts in a fun, poetic way with the "Rhymes and Times" program we are using.  Over the next 2 weeks, we will cover the geometry concepts congruency, symmetry, area, and perimeter.


Important Reminders:  

•  Please remember to sign your child's report card envelope as well as the small slip at the bottom of the report card itself and send both back to me.  Thank you!

•  We are collecting dog and cat supplies for the Animal Refuge Center.  Please consider donating food, blankets, or toys.  Thank you!

•  There will be no school on Monday, Feb. 15 and Tuesday, Feb. 16.

•  We will be exchanging valentine cards on Friday, Feb. 12!

•  The FCAT test will be given on March 9, 10, and 11.  Practice on FCAT Explorer each night will be of great value to your child.

Together we can enhance your child's education.  Neither one of us can do it alone!!!

***Please have your child to school on time!  We start right away in the morning:)