Only 26 days remain this school year. This students have started their countdown! We have been busy working on many exciting things.

Reading: In reading we have read the main selections, Suki’s Kimono and I Love Saturdays. We worked on main idea and details and sequencing. Last week we started preparing for the spring writing sample. We used our entire language arts block to practice our writing skills and learn about persuasive writing. Students still attended small reading groups to work on vocabulary and skills for the week. This week we are reading the story Jalapeno Bagels and our focus skill is drawing conclusions. We are going to be cutting our reading time in half to spend more time preparing for the writing sample which will be held this Thursday.

Writing: In writing, students have been working on a persuasive letter to Mrs. Andersen. They are trying to convince her to allow the third graders to chew gum for a day. We read a book titled Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum and were inspired to ask for this special treat. The letters are coming along nicely!

Math: Our math time has been devoted to measurement and word problems. Students have been working with identifying key words which give us clues about the correct operation to use to solve the problem. This week we are moving to two digit by one digit multiplication. The class seems excited to be taking on this new topic!

Social Studies: We took a short break from our government unit to focus on Earth day. The students learned a great deal about reducing, reusing, and recycling. We made a few fun crafts as well! We are now back into government and we are discussing the requirements and responsibilities of our president. This week we are taking a closer look at the constitution.

Odds & Ends:

Filed Trip- Friday May 16th to the North Museum

Coin collection is underway for our district wide mini Relay for Life. Students have coin collection bottles which were sent home last Friday.

Because Brecknock Care- we will be taking donations through this Thursday for our Because Brecknock Cares event.

May 21- Early Dismissal

May 26- No School

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

The students have started counting down the days to the end of the year and there are really not that many left! Time is flying by! I’m impressed with how the students have working so hard each and everyday.

Reading: We completed a Unit 4 review last week. Students took a second look at fact/opinion, cause/effect, summarizing, and spelling patterns such as VCCCV. We did many review activities in both whole group and small group. Students complete the Unit 4 Benchmark Assessment during small group time. We were able to discuss each question which was wonderful! This week we are focusing on comparing and contrasting while reading the story Suki’s Kimono.

Math: In math, we focused on measuring using the metric units of grams and kilograms. Students had fun using a balance scale to compare objects. This week begins our new math schedule. Students will spend the entire math block with their small group teacher. My math group will continue with measurement this week as we will be exploring gallons, quarts, pints, and cups.

Writing: Many students are well into their persuasive writing pieces. Some of their arguments are pretty convincing too!! I’ll be sending the finished copies home in the Friday Folders once they have all been scored.

Social Studies: In social studies, students learned about the three branches of our government as well as the duties of each branch. We had some great discussions about our government so far!

Odds & Ends:

We WILL have school on April 17th and April 21st. These are snow make-up days.

April 17th is dress like a superhero day!

April 18th – No School

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me! Have a wonderful week!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

We are now into the fourth and final marking period of the school year! Students have successfully completed PSSA testing in the last few weeks. I’m so proud of all their hard during during the week of testing. Students took their time and did their best work!

Reading: In reading, we read the folk tale Fly, Eagle, Fly! We reviewed cause and effect as well as monitoring and clarifying when we are reading. Students also focused on prepositions and the phonics skill of VCCCV. Reading Street tests were completed on Friday along with the spelling test and will be included in this weeks Friday Folders. I’m sorry for the delay, I was out of school both Thursday and Friday.

Writing: Students have started a persuasive piece. Some students are finishing their how to pieces from the third marking period during this time as well. We discussed what persuading means and the structure of persuasive writing. Students are really excited to be working on this project and I can’t wait to read their final pieces!

Math: We have started measurement using customary units in math. Students explored ounces, pounds, and tons last week. We will be moving to metric units of weight this week. Our math block will be changing as of April 14th. Students will be spending the entire math time with their small group teachers. During the fourth marking period we will be revisiting many of the topics we have studied throughout the year. The change in our schedule was made to maximize our time with the students!

Social Studies: Our unit on government is underway! Students have explored why we have a government and we have touched on the jobs and services our government provides. Looking ahead, we will be focusing on the three branches.

Odds & Ends:

Spring Picture order forms or unwanted packets are due back April 17th.

Report cards will be going home April 11th.

Snow make-up day April 17th and April 21st.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We are coming closer to PSSA testing as well as to the end of the third marking period. We have been doing many things to prepare for the tests!

Reading: We have been doing a mixture of Reading Street lessons and PSSA prep. lessons to practice comprehension skills and test taking strategies. Our Reading Street story was titled America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederly. Students enjoyed reading about this woman’s major accomplishments! Again, we focused on fact and opinion. Students read multiple passages and responded to multiple choice questions as well.

To prepare for the online PSSA test which will take place next week, students watched a tutorial. This week students will have the opportunity to practice with some of the online tools as well as look at the format of the test. There are different tutorials and practice sessions for both reading and math.

Math: In math, we have been focusing on reviewing skills through practice tests. It is great seeing how far the students have come since the beginning of the year! We have also started to explore making change up to $5.00. Students really enjoyed some of the made up story problems involving their classmates! We will continue with reviewing skills this week as well as looking at elapsed time.

Science: In science, we are in the middle of watching a Planet Earth video about Mountains. Students are enjoying seeing clips from around the world! We will continue with this concept this week.

Odds & Ends:

March 19th- Spring Pictures

March 25th – March 28th- PSSA testing

We will have testing sessions in the morning as well as the afternoon. Please try not to schedule appointments during the school day next week. Students should also get a good nights rest each night as well as eat breakfast. This is all to help our students to be successful!

March 31st- End of the Third Marking Period

As always if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

We have spent our first week in the new/temporary classroom, and the students love it! We have been able to watch as work has begun in our room which is also exciting.

Reading: In reading we read the biography Rocks in His Head. Our focus skill was fact and opinion as well as inferring. Students worked through practice PSSA readings and questions as well. We worked on these skills in both whole group and during small group time. We will continue with fact and opinion this week as we read the non-fiction text America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle.

Math: We have been working with variables and solving equations. The students are focusing on using inverse operations to solve for an unknown and we have worked with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems! This week we will look at function tables, making change, and reviewing some material from the beginning of the year.

As we are moving through algebra, it is important for students to know their basic multiplication facts. Please remind your child to practice their facts each night to promote growth!

Science: In science we took a closer look at the Great Plains. Students watched an amazing Planet Earth video and completed a graphic organizer which described it. We will be looking at the layers of the Earth as well as mountains this week.

Odds & Ends:

March 19- Spring Pictures

March 25-March 28- PSSA Testing

March 31- End of the 3rd marking period

As always if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weekend!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! We’ve had some big changes this week in third grade. On Friday, we moved classrooms so construction could begin in our room. The students were such a HUGE help and they are all so excited to be in our temporary home for the next few weeks. I’m excited for this new adventure as well!

Reading: We read the story Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest and focused on the skills of graphic sources and main idea. This nonfiction text showed us some of nature’s record holders. The students were amazed at some of the facts! This week we will read the story Rocks in His Head and focus on the skills of fact and opinion as well as building background knowledge. We will also take a look at some helpful test taking strategies.

Math: We have moved to algebra and students are exploring how to solve for a variable. We are focusing on using inverse operations to solve for a variable using all four of the operations. After just a few days with this new and challenging skill, many students are grasping it. We will continue to work with variables and algebraic concepts this week.

Science: In science, we are focusing on landforms. Students used Map Essential books last week to explore landforms found in the United States. They really enjoyed identifying different landforms and seeing how our country is shaped. this week we will finish with the Map Essentials books and then move to Planet Earth videos to explore plains and mountains.

Odds & Ends:

2/27-3/5: Jump Rope for Heart

3/19: Spring Pictures

3/25-3/28: PSSA Testing

4/11: PTO Science Fair

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Have a wonderful night!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

Last week was our first whole week in quite a while! We were able to accomplish some wonderful things!

Reading: We read a biography called The Man Who Invented Basketball. Students enjoyed reading about how basketball was created! We focused on the skills of generalization and summarizing. Due to the snow, students took a Reading Street test on Monday and on Friday. I’m proud of them for working so hard and staying focused during testing. This week we are reading an expository test called Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest. Students are already interested in some of nature’s record holders we have discussed!

On Friday, students met with the local author Linda Oatman High. They enjoyed hearing about her childhood and how she became a writer. Students asked some wonderful questions and a few bought autographed copies of her books!

Writing: We took the winter writing sample last week and I’m impressed with the growth the students have shown. Students wrote a piece explaining how to do something they do well. There was a wide range of topics such a playing football to how to throw a fun slumber party. I will be working with the students to edit these pieces, and a copy will be sent home in Friday Folders in a few weeks.

Math: We continued our work with fractions last week. Students explored fractions on a number line and equivalent fractions. We will be reviewing and testing on fractions this week. Our next unit of study will be algebra and solving for a variable.

Science: Landforms continues to be our focus in science. Last week, we looked at specific landforms found around the world.

Odds & Ends:

2/28: We are moving to our temporary classroom! The time has come for our room to be fixed up. The students are very excited to be moving just down the hall so we can watch as our room is transformed!

3/25 – 3/28: PSSA Testing (more information about this is coming!)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful week!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

Well all of this snow is certainly making our schedule a little crazy! We are continuing to move along and accomplish great things.

Reading: We will finish with our story, Around One Cactus, this week. Our focus skill is cause and effect and students will practice this skill during whole and small group as well. Our Reading Street test and spelling test will be on Thursday this week because we are off on Friday.

Writing: We will be taking our second Writing Sample on Wednesday. I’m excited to see how much the students have grown since the fall!

Math: We are continuing with our fractions unit. Students have been working with comparing fractions with like and unlike denominators. We have also explored fractions greater, less than, or equal to 1/2.

Science: In science, we started our unit on landforms, but took a few days to share our social studies presentations on communities. We will continue to landforms this week.

Odds & Ends:

February 12- Writing Sample

February 13- Valentine’s Day Celebration

Last week, I sent home a sheet with each of the students’ names. If your child wishes to participate, please send in a valentine for all 17 students. We will also be joining Mrs. Stoppi’s class for hot chocolate. Please send in a mug with your child on this day as well.

February 14- No School

February 17- Snow Make-up Day

February 18- Spring Pictures

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful afternoon!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

We were lucky to have a FULL week of school last week! It seems like they have been few and far between. The third marking period is in full swing and the students are working hard!

Reading: We read the main selection A Symphony of Whales and worked with the skill of generalizing. Students read books in small reading groups related to our main selection and many students were very interested in the topic of beached whales. We had some wonderful discussions! This week we will be moving to cause and effect as well as making predictions as we read the story Around One Cactus.

Writing: Many students are wrapping up their expository writing pieces. Last week we took a look at adding dialogue into our writing. Students were able to practice by making up their own conversations between two characters. We are preparing for our second writing sample which will take place in just a few short weeks. Students will be working with Google Docs. this week to set up a space to share their writing. I’m anxious to see how much they all have grown since our first writing sample in the fall!

Math: We are busy with fractions! Last week we looked at fractions of a set, comparing fractions, and the different parts of a fraction. Students compared fractions by looking at a picture representation. This week we will continue our work with fractions and practice a few skills from earlier in the year as well.

We are also focusing on multiplication at this time. Multiplication fluency  is to be mastered by the end of the third marking period. It would be beneficial for all students to practice their basic facts at home each night.

Social Studies: Students finished working on their presentations and essays on Friday. We will present our information about urban, rural, and suburban life this week. Looking ahead, we will begin our science unit on landforms on Monday.

Odds & Ends:

Feb. 5th.-Early Dismissal

Feb. 14th- No School

I will be sending home information this week about our small Valentine’s Day celebration which will take place on Feb. 13th

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile

The start of the third marking period has been a little snowy to say the least! We have been working to fit everything in with our snow days and two hour delays.

Reading: In reading this week, we focused on skills such as sequencing and text structure. Students worked with these skills in small reading groups. On Friday, the third grade took the STAR reading assessment to monitor progress. I’m proud of the students for giving the test their 100% effort!

Writing: Students continue to work on their expository “how to” pieces. Many students are conferencing with peers or me to edit their work. We are preparing for our second writing sample which will take place in a few weeks.

Math: We have started an new unit on fractions. Students are learning about parts of a whole and parts of a set. We worked with the terms numerator and denominator and identified fractions from a picture. Our work with fractions will continue this week. On Thursday, students took the STAR math assessment. Again, I’m so proud of the students work!

Social Studies: Students continue to work on their group presentations using Google Docs. They will be presenting on urban, rural, and suburban communities. In addition to the presentation, students will be writing a five paragraph essay on the same topic.

Odds & Ends:

January 28th- report cards will be sent home

February 5th- early dismissal

February 17th- snow make-up day

February 18th- spring pictures

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you,

Miss Gentile